TMNT Their Side of The City
by mysteryred
Summary: Co-authored by Illusionna and Pheonix500 this story is set in my Have Dinner With Me story AU. Follow Denim, Mikey, Zoe, and Raph along with Illusionna's OC's from The Other Side of The City and meet Pheonix500's amazing Sappho as the Hamato family continues to struggle with the world coming to terms with mutants. We do not own TMNT. Rated for language and some adult themes.
1. Prologue

An Introduction To Their Side of The City

It is two years post The Mutant Liberation War. The battle was won, mutants are citizens, but bigotry is plentiful and some rights still elude them. In the wake of the Kraang Invasion of New York six years ago, The Earth Defense Force, already operating with impunity under its mandate to protect the world has grown unchecked, given unlimited resources and almost no oversight in the pursuit of its stated purpose. Dark secrets are shielded beneath a veneer of self promotion and positive propaganda.

In an era of superficial peace, Splinter finds himself in love once more, with the mutant healer, The Phoenix, and has taken her as his wife. They have blended their two families and made an addition with Yuuta, their rat pup. The Hamato Clan has grown, adding Phoenix's three mutant children, Medusa, Aries, and Arcos. Splinter's boys have mates of their own, one even a child, Raphael's longtime girlfriend Zoe and their son Antonello. Donatello and April, Leonardo and Karai have all found comfortable places in their relationships and all is different but relatively _normal_. Recently, Michelangelo met Denim and after a long adventure of their own he's determined that she and her daughter Alli join the Hamato Clan. But new dangers abound…


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

She didn't know why, but it had taken Denim by surprise when Mikey had told her they were going to Murakami's to meet his family.

"But I've already met your family," she said, shrugging into her jacket.

"You've met Splinter's side," he corrected. "Now you get to meet Phoenix's."

"There are sides?"

"There are sides to everything," he said sagely, nodding his head and hooding his bright, blue eyes. "And everybody is going to love you," he picked up Alli and nestled her in his arm.

On the walk there, Denim wondered, once again, at the number of Hamatos that must be running around NYC. At Murakami's, however, there were only three, sitting at a long table at the far end of the little restaurant. One of whom, was a new one that Denim hadn't met before.

Master Splinter and the Phoenix sat at the very center of the table's far side, in between them sat a high chair with a little rat in it. Denim recalled Phoenix mentioning a "Mini Me" and realized this must be him. He was a tiny version of Splinter, only thinner and with sharper features. He raised his four fingered paw and waved when he saw them, putting the thumb of his other hand in his mouth.

"Of course, Michelangelo would be the first one here when it deals with food."

Splinter smiled at his wife's quip and motioned to the chairs across from them.

Mikey swiped an empty high chair from a nearby table and put it directly opposite the high chair between his parents.

The small rat put both of his hands out and fisted his fingers in the sign language of 'pick me up.'

"Sorry, Lil Ninja," Mikey said. "Mommy says no at the dinner table." The turtle seemed to naturally know how the seats worked, placing Alli in hers with no effort at all.

"At least someone listens to their Mama," Phoenix said to the rat pup.

He made a face and put his thumb back in his mouth.

"You must be Alli," Phoenix leaned forward toward Denim's daughter, "It's nice to meet you."

"Hi!" The little girl's eyes stayed on the woman for only a moment before going to the rat pup across from her.

"Alli, this is Yuuta," Mikey said.

"Mikey would be here first, wouldn't he?" Karai's voice carried from the door as she and Leo entered.

"I'm starving," he answered. "Where's everyone else?"

"Coming, I suppose," Phoenix answered.

Yuuta opened and closed his fists at Leo, who reached over to take him out of the high chair. 

"He is fine there," Splinter spoke for the first time.

Leo withdrew his arms and sat down next to his father.

"How old are you?" Alli asked the pup.

He held out one hand full and a finger from his other.

"Wow, he's five?" Denim asked. The little guy was so small.

Karai chuckled, "Yep, and doesn't say a word."

Yuuta put his thumb back in his mouth.

"Don't let that fool ya," Raph slipped in next to Denim, a lean-muscled, slender redheaded human on his arm. "He understands everything."

"This is Zoe," Mikey said, pointing to the pretty lady with Raph, who nodded at Denim with a smile. Mikey gestured to the miniature version of Raph standing just behind her. "And this is my nephew, Antonello. He's five, too."

The green-eyed turtle-boy scowled. "Don't use my big name. I didn't do nothin' wrong."

Raph pointed to the chair between he and Zoe. "Yeah you did, when you left those toys on the floor, hid in a closet then jumped out and scared your mom."

Zoe cleared her throat and Raph's eyes narrowed on her. She raised one eyebrow. "Scared me or-"

"Ah, shut it, Z," Raph grumbled, sinking into his seat and flipping through his menu.

Mikey snickered, looked around then asked, "Where is everybody? I'm starving."

"Holy jalapenos, he was right," a deep, shaking voice boomed across the room. "Karai, you sure you don't have red underneath that yin yang on your head?" A ram mutant, tall, with broad shoulders and huge round horns on either side of his head pointed at the Japanese woman.

As the bear, who was even taller than the ram in front of him, laughed, Karai rolled her eyes, not deigning to answer. "Ignore him," he said, his words more of a growl than speaking. He stuck out a paw to Denim, "I'm Arcos, and wool-for-brains is Aries."

"Not bad, Mikey, my man." Aries winked.

"Aries!" Phoenix's voice was edgy.

"What?" The ram sat on the other side of his mother. "It was a compliment."

Denim opened her mouth to say that she wasn't an item to be admired, when another voice interrupted her.

"Are you insulting people already?" April slipped into the seat next to Karai, as Arcos whipped the chair at the head of the table away and deposited it at another.

"Of course he is," Donnie answered for him. "It's what he does."

"The ladies love me," Aries countered.

"Which is why you don't have one," Raph replied.

"Because I have many," the ram said slowly. "Many."

"Yet, you could get none to join you here today," Donnie noted.

"This is a family dinner," he said. "None of them are family."

Denim pressed her lips together with a quick intake of breath. This was a family dinner...she looked at the many people gathered.

"Let's not go there tonight," Arcos grumbled, turning his attention to Alli. "You like teddy bears?"

Alli shook her head, "I like turtles!"

Mikey laughed, "She speaks the truth."

"Good answer!" Aries said at the same time.

The bell rang to the door again. Denim turned, her mouth dropping open at what entered.

"I'm last?" the giant, dark-green snake said as she slithered into the restaurant. "And I wasn't even working today." It became obvious why the chair at the head of the table had been removed. The snake, a constrictor of some kind, could not, in any way, fit in a chair. In fact, when she arrived at the empty spot, she wound her long body in on itself, and still her tail was stretched the length of the table underneath it.

"This is our sister, Medusa," Mikey said as the snake made herself comfortable. He turned to Denim, his blue eyes filled with joy and affection. "Denim," his voice was gentle. "This is my family."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Denim's heart was pounding, her stomach a jerking, clenching knot. She was glad Mikey wanted her to meet his family. She just hadn't counted on it being so… big! Right then all eyes were on her and she wanted to bolt. But he was looking at her with the sweetest curve of his mouth…

She smiled, knew it was a feeble attempt.

Thankfully the server, a mutant rabbit, came to the table with glasses of water. Denim took hers with a shaky hand, sipping it.

The rabbit's ear draped over one shoulder and she leaned close to Michelangelo, brushing against him as she placed his glass on the table.

Family awkwardness forgotten, Denim's hand tightened on her glass. Had she imagined it? Was she overreacting?

Mikey's smile faltered slightly and he shifted away from the waitress's lingering touch. No. Not imagined.

Her eyes narrowed and she reached out, cupping her hand over Mikey's. Mine.

The waitress frowned and straightened, distributing the remaining water with almost military efficiency, sloshing Alli's in a way that made Denim wonder if it was intentional.

As the miffed rabbit stalked off Denim broke off tracking her movement and realized that everyone was completely silent. She swallowed hard, surprised by her own uncharacteristically possessive reaction. Several explanations for abruptly leaving flitted through her mind as she reined in the urge to grab Alli and Mikey and bolt.

Until Karai burst out laughing. "Nicely done."

Denim flushed, but the vice in her chest loosened as she was met varied expressions of approval from Mikey's relatives.

"Like a pro." Medusa laughed, the sound more of a hissy breath.

Phoenix smiled, but avoided eye contact with Mikey and Denim, turning instead to Yuuta and Splinter, who returned her gaze with a warm one of his own.

"Next time," Medusa leaned forward, her long body traversing almost half the distance between her seat and Denim's, "bite her. Oh, better yet," she turned to look at the rabbit mutant. "I'll bite her. I doubt Murakami-san will have anywhere near enough for me to eat."

"I thought we agreed, no talk of eating people at the dinner table," Leo said.

"Or dogs or cats or wild urban animals," Donnie added.

April smiled at Denim's slowly reddening face. "She isn't really that bad."

"Unless you get her angry," Karai said. "Then she is that bad."

"I won't eat you," Medusa promised. "Mikey would never leave me alone if I did, he'd be talking to you through my stomach. And even I can't take that much Mikey."

"She can't eat him either," Aries said. "Turtles have salmonella."

"Stop," Phoenix admonished. "Can't you see the poor girl is about to fall through the floor?"

Denim wasn't entirely sure what to make of Medusa. She knew life with mutants was going to be different, but eating people never crossed her mind. She glanced at the rabbit, who was flipping her ear while talking to another server, a fox mutant. The rabbit looked directly at Michelangelo then giggled like a cheerleader. Denim's teeth ground together. Did the bunny not get the message? Maybe she'd feed her to Medusa herself.

"I want to watch Dusa eat the rabbit!" Antonello pouted.

"Medusa's not eatin' anybody. At least not at the dinner table," Raph groused.

"Rabbit has it coming to her," Zoe huffed.

"The rabbits not _at_ the table, Raph," Karai grinned, "but she sure is putting herself _on_ the menu."

Allison climbed from her high chair, crawled across the table and reached for Medusa's mouth. "Say ahhh! Look, Mommy, I'll fit!" she squealed with delight.

Denim froze, momentarily unable to process the visual in front of her. Then Mikey was scrabbling across the table, scattering cups and dishes, scooping Alli up and twisting to pop her back into her high chair. Still sprawled across the table, he managed a strained grin in Denim's direction. "Heh, what kidders. No one's eating anything but Murakami-san's food. Which is going to be awesome of course."

"Mommy..." Alli whined, struggling back out of her high chair.

Still in shock, parental autopilot took over. "It's not polite to climb on the table."

Alli pouted. "But Mikey's on the table."

"Stay in your seat." Denim answered numbly.

There was a moment of silence before Splinter spoke. "Michelangelo."

Mikey pushed himself upright and onto his knees, clearly a conditioned response. "Hai sensei."

"Get off the table." Splinter chuckled as Mikey rushed to comply, pink embarrassment tinging his round green cheeks.

As the silence stretched into awkwardness again, Leo took charge, turning in his chair to address Donnie, as though nothing strange had occurred during the meal so far. "So, how is business, Don? Are you working on anything interesting?"

Donnie abruptly stopped setting his diningware back up and his confusion transformed into a glowing smile. "Yes actually. I'm designing a new type of power cell for a green energy project. It's solar model, chemically mimicking the process of photosynthesis in plants..."

As Donnie chatted on, everyone's eyes began to glaze over, though everyone still looked at him politely. Phoenix quietly tried to keep Yuuta in his seat, his wiggling had increased when Alli crawled out of hers. He glanced around at each of his brothers at the table, stretching his arms out and opening and closing his fists in the sign language of "Pick me up!" Everyone glanced at him surrepitiously, until Medusa broke the tension and reached across the table to pick him up.

At Splinter and her mother's glare, she said, "No one is going to eat in peace."

Phoenix sighed and Splinter shook his head, but neither did anything to stop her. The large snake scooped up Alli next, not waiting for permission, and stopping in front of Antonello to have him crawl on her back, as was his custom.

"This is a restaurant," Leo complained, when no one said anything.

"And they're getting paid good tonight," Aries said. "If Bunny decides to change her mark, she might even get a good tip. You're payin' right, Donnie? With all this fancy stuff, the money's raking in."

TSOTC

Donnie's jaw fell open. "What? I've gotten the last...all, actually. I'm not the only one with an income."

Aries snorted. "Just the biggest income."

"It's not that simple." April jumped to Don's defense. "A lot of capital has to go back into the business. And we don't make nearly what we should on each commission. You know why."

Aries huffed, but didn't argue.

"Enough. This is a family gathering and we will not spend it arguing over money." Splinter's calm, but authoritative voice echoed across the table, silencing the rest if the argument. April, Donnie and Aries had the grace to look chagrined.

Annoyance faded into regret across Donnie's features. "I'm sorry. We can cover it. I just feel like it's taken for granted that I..."

Splinter held up a hand. "It is and it should not be. It is good that you are willing and able to support this family when needed, but you are not an ADM machine."

Donnie opened his mouth to correct his father and possibly point out the redundancy, but was halted by a swift elbow to the side from April.

Splinter continued. "Everyone will contribute what they can."

After a moment, Mikey smiled. "I got a raise last month, so I can afford to splurge." He held up a crumpled twenty dollar bill.

TSOTC

Everyone looked at Mikey, who didn't notice, still beaming with his twenty dollars.

Denim's heart swelled at his innocence. His raise had probably been that twenty dollars, but he acted like he'd won the lotto. "Uh, Mikey, I think we should order dinner before we get to-"

"Are you folks ready to order?" The rabbit server interrupted Denim, stepping in between her and Mikey. "You first doll," she said to Michelangelo, "what're you having?"

Denim blinked. The rabbit's skinny jeans brushed up against her chair and she completely blocked her view of Mikey. She didn't want to make a scene, but the rabbit really needed to back off.

Denim pushed back her chair and stood. "Excuse me," she said tapping the rabbit on her shoulder. The bunny mutant was taller than Denim, but most everyone was, so this did not intimidate her.

The rabbit met Denim with expectant eyes but said nothing.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Denim flashed the rabbit a tight smile then touched Mikey's shoulder. "Can you go ahead and order for me and Alli? I'm just going to go freshen up."

Mikey looked utterly confused as Denim stroked his shoulder then she walked around him to pluck Alli from Medusa's skinny arms.

The snake glanced at Mikey, then at Splinter and Phoenix. Arcos struck her shoulder, jolting Yuuta, who sat on her head, and Anton, who was perched on her back as if she were a great serpent to ride into battle, and jerked his muzzle in Denim's direction.

"I can't fit in the bathroom," she hissed, turning her black eyes to the rabbit.

"Potty time!" Phoenix sang, springing up from her seat, grabbing the rat pup from his sister's head, and her grandson from his aunt's back. She placed Anton on her hip quickly, her body almost buckling under his weight, while little Yuuta ran, like a rat, up to her shoulders to perch there,

"I don' need t' go potty," Anton complained.

"Too bad," Phoenix said quietly, "you can help Squeaky Toy." As she opened the door to the women's bathroom, she called out gently, "Denim?"

TSOTC

Denim held the stall door for Allison, listening to her daughter jabber on while using the toilet. Internally she cringed as the toddler touched damn near everything in the stall, her little sneakers swinging back and forth against the toilet bowl. "Mommy, I like Dusa! She's so pretty, and I fit in her mouth! It's so big! Did you see when I tried to climb inside?"

Denim's heart clenched. Yes, she saw her three year old try to climb into the mouth of the biggest constrictor she'd ever seen. One who was talking about eating people only seconds before.

It was intimidating enough to be one of, what, three humans, at the table. Throw in a human eating snake and a damn flirting bunny and Denim was a humbled minority. Karai and April might look human but, one was half mutant the other half alien. She didn't really know Zoe and Phoenix, what if they weren't human either?

Denim sighed. It's a family dinner. Aries said it was a family dinner and none of his girlfriends were worthy of attending. But was she worthy? Was there a place for her among them?

Alli flushed the toilet and Denim guided her to the sink, helping her wash her hands. She pumped the soap four times, then twice more for good measure.

"No, Mommy I hate bubbles! Get it off!" Alli protested, real tears appearing in her eyes.

"Stop it, Alli." Denim rubbed the soap around while Alli flailed, sending suds flying. "What kid doesn't like bubbles? Ugh, and you all but licked the toilet."

Denim handed her cranky toddler a paper towel then looked at herself in the mirror. What was she doing? What would his family think if she went off on that rabbit? Maybe that the rabbit was better suited for Mikey than a frail human? At least the rabbit would fit in with his family.

His family.

A family.

A big, beautiful family.

She heard Anton whining before Phoenix called her name. Alli rushed to greet them, helping hold the door open.

Heat rose to Denim's cheeks. Great, his mother was going to think she was a drama queen. Why, rabbit could you not do this on a different night? She took a deep breath, and answered, "I'm in here."


	4. Chapter 3

Mikey frowned in puzzlement as Denim hurried off to the bathroom with Alli, who waved cheerfully as she went. He returned the gesture with a smile that he was pretty sure didn't reach his eyes. Somehow this whole evening had gone much better in his head when he was planning it.

How was everything turning into such a mess? Granted, his sisters could be a little...intimidating if you didn't know that they were totally joking with most of what they said. Maybe. He hoped. And why was everyone going all Elmer Fudd on their waitress? She hadn't messed up their orders. Yet. Maybe April had gotten one of those premonitions and forgotten to tell him.

"I can't fit in the bathroom." Medusa hissed, drawing his attention back to table.

"Potty time" his mother chirped, hopping up to grab his little brother and nephew off of Medusa.

"I don't need to go potty." Anton whined as his mother dragged him along.

She leaned in close, whispering, "Too bad, you can help Squeaky Toy."

Mikey smiled at the use of his baby brother's nickname. It was so awesome to be the big brother for a change...though technically he was the same age as Leo, Raph and Don, they'd always treated him like a little kid. Actually, they kind of still did sometimes. But at least now, Yuuta could pull some of the focus. They'd all learn to respect team little bro when Yuuta finally took to the pranking lessons he'd been trying. Yes, then there would be sweet, sweet retribution.

In a better mood now, Mikey turned back to the waitress, who was running her hand down the ear draped over her shoulder. Was it itchy? Maybe she had fleas. He knew his dad and Yuuta certainly had to be vigilant against that. Fur must be hard.

"My girlfriend and I, and our girl, Alli will split a double order of pizza gyoza." The rabbit stopped stroking her ear and frowned, but Mikey paid it no mind. He was tempted to make it a triple, but wasn't entirely sure how far his twenty would stretch, especially when he wasn't sure what everyone else would order, so he played it safe. "And I suppose, we'll stick with water."

The waitress leaned in, her cleavage visible, hadn't her shirt been buttoned higher before, and mere inches from his face before he abruptly jerked back. "Are you sure you wouldn't like an appetizer or," she licked her lips, "some dessert."

He opened his mouth to answer, but faltered when she ran her hand over the top edge of his shell. Normally, Mikey wasn't averse to touching. He was the first to openly display physical affection towards friends, or those who would soon be friends. And he was a huge fan of creative fist bumps and choreographed handshakes. And despite what his brothers insisted, the surprise hug pile was absolutely the best way to break up a tense family moment. But, this was setting off alarm bells and making him shift in his seat to pull away. Any further and he'd be falling out of his chair.

Mikey scooched his chair back and sideways, knocking into Raph a little bit, as he moved to break the contact. "Uh, no, we're totes good." He turned beseechingly to the rest of his family. "So what do you guys want to order?"

"I wassssss thinking of braisssssed rabbit," Medusa said in a deadly voice, her gaze unblinking on the rabbit mutant. "What would you suggest?"

As Raph and Karai chuckled, the rabbit stood up straight and cocked her hip out to the side. She opened her mouth, but Leo interrupted her.

"We would all like the family style Hibachi noodles, please." He glanced around the table, as if expecting someone to make a scene. When there was none, he added, "And a pot of tea."

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix walked up to Denim as all three little ones ran into a stall. Yuuta climbed up on the seat of a toilet and sat, not at all intending to go to the potty.

"You alright, hon?" the older woman asked, putting her hand on Denim's shoulder. Her dark green eyes were filled with compassion, the smile on her face kind.

Denim rubbed her hands together. Her eyes flickering to Phoenix then away. "I'm sorry, I swear I'm not a drama queen. I'm not. I just-" her head tipped to the side, "Would you believe they flirt with him and he doesn't seem to notice?" She stopped herself as if realizing the absurdity of what she'd just said.

She shook her head. "I mean of course he doesn't, he's Mikey. But here I am slightly concerned that your daughter might try to eat mine, and then there's this bunny rubbing all over him and I just," Denim stomped her foot, "I'm trying really hard not to lose my shit."

Her eyes widened, her hand flying up to her mouth. "Oh, gods. I'm so, sorry. That was-" She glanced toward the stall where three little faces whipped up to look at her. She took a shaky breath. Her brow furrowed and she forced herself to meet Phoenix's gaze. "This happens a lot. They flirt with him because he's adorable, and he's completely oblivious to it. It's what they say to me if he leaves the table, or when I do, just like this. They follow me. Trust me, she'll say her piece before the meal is done." Denim swallowed, swiped at blurry eyes. "They always do. It's just, usually I don't feel like I need to be on my best behavior when I handle it. Mikey never knows about it and life goes on."

Before Phoenix could respond the sound of synchronized toilet flushing caught their attention. Yuuta, Anton and Alli were each in a different stall. Yuuta flushed first to set a rhythm then Anton and Alli picked it up.

"Row, row, row your boat down the rapids!" Anton sang, then reached over and began feeding the roll of toilet paper into the bowl. "How much do you think it can hold? Look, Yuuta!"

"Oh, honey," Phoenix crooned, "Medusa isn't going to eat your daughter. I promise."

The rat pup ran from his flushing toilet, to his nephew's, grabbing the side of the toilet bowl to peer in it.

"Boys!" Phoenix admonished, running to Anton's toilet, and grimacing when she looked inside. "Oh dear," she moaned, "Anton, how much did you put in there?"

"Just that much, Gr'mare." the turtle pointed to the mostly empty toilet roll.

"Yuuta, get me the plunger," she said in a badly-done-to voice.

Yuuta shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, go look for it, Squeaky Toy," she replied. Walking over to Yuuta's stall, she tilted her head to look in it. "I think Yuuta is faster than you, Anton," she muttered, upon seeing the amount of toilet paper in it.

"No, he's not," he muttered back.

She popped her head out to see Denim dealing with Alli. "Being on your best behavior isn't what Mikey wants," she called, taking the plunger from Yuuta. "Go wash your hands," she said gently. "You too, Anton." She said the boy's name with a nasal ending, almost dropping the /n/. "None of us want you to be on your best behavior." She flushed the toilet again, only to frantically plunge it. "We want you to be you."

"No," Anton said over the noise of running water and flushing toilets. "You have to do it like this, Yuuta. All the way up your arms, so your fur gets clean."

Phoenix moved over to Antonello's stall. "We want you to be you." She poked her head out. "Mikey brought you to dinner tonight because he likes _you_ **.** Not the best behavior you. He wanted his family to meet his girlfriend."

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey breathed a sigh of relief as the last order was placed. Until the waitress started walking along his side of the table to go put their orders in. Not wanting to make a huge fuss about her odd, uber-touchy-feeliness, he ducked below her hand as she walked by, smiling triumphantly at his evasion. That's right yo. Don't mess with a ninja. Lightning reflexes don't lie. Why were Raph, Donnie and Leo staring at him?

Following their line of vision to his shoulder, he noticed a slip of paper sticking out of his shell. Huh? He reached up, plucked it out, and unfolded it. A phone number, followed by _Deanna, call me._ What? Why would she...

The pieces clicked together and his fist closed around the paper, crumpling it. Looking up at the varied expressions of his relatives, all watching him, he realized that they all knew. Had known. So that was why...Denim! Oh shell, had Denim noticed too? So that's what was wrong.

Raph had that particular smirk he saved for the rare moments when Mikey was well and truly angry and not at him. And his brother was spot on again. Tonight was supposed to be special and now everything was going wrong and wronger. At least he could fix some of it.

Jaw clenched, he stood and stomped over to the end of the corner, where their waitress, Deanna he assumed, chatted animatedly with a bored looking waiter. He wasn't making any effort to be stealthy and she heard him approach, smiling victoriously at the sight of him, failing to notice his expression.

"Hey, cutie."

He slapped the paper onto the counter. "Sorry. I've already got the best girl there is, so I don't need that. And I'd appreciate it if you'd switch off and let someone else wait our table for the rest of the night. Trust me, if you stick around, don't count on much of a tip."

Satisfied as her face changed from incredulous to furious, he turned on his heel and walked away. Now he had to make things right with Denim.

"Uh, Mikey...that's the wome..."

Raph cut Donnie off. "Shh. I want to see this."

Zoe elbowed him.

Mikey looked up and realized he was a second away from barging into the women's restroom. Because that would really cap off the evening. He fidgeted, unsure of what to do. Maybe he could knock.

TSOTC

Denim tugged Alli away from her toilet flushing. The toddler strained, reaching out for the handle then kicking her foot at it. "No, Mommy, I have to finish the song!"

Denim grunted, struggling with her flailing child. "No, honey, we need to wash up and get back to the dinner table." She twisted around, holding Alli out towards the sink to perform the scrub down ritual again.

"No bubbles! No bubbles!" Alli flailed, flinging suds covered arms, sending a spray of them over Phoenix, Anton and Yuuta.

Denim groaned. "I'm sorry. She's not a big fan of suds."

"I ain't a big fan of'em neither," Anton said, wiping them off his cheek and flinging his three fingers. "But do ya gotta sray'em all over tha place?"

"See! I'm not the only one, Mommy!" Alli pouted, drying her arms.

Denim took a deep breath, and looked at Phoenix. "The truth is, I can handle the rabbit. Mikey and I have been through much worse than Miss Cottontail out there. It just might not be the most polite thing you'll ever see me do." Denim reached out to stop Allison from pulling out all the paper towels then motioned behind Phoenix where the boys were turning the faucets on full blast and splashing each other. She let out an exhausted laugh. "There's never a dull moment in your family is there?"

TSOTC

"Dull? Oh no! Never." She laughed. It had been so long since that had been pointed out to her, she wouldn't have thought of it on her own. But then, how could her life ever be dull? She was married to a rat ninja master, all of her children, adopted, step, and in-law, were all only part human, six of them were ninjas, one of them might as well be, and the other three didn't need to be, they were large enough to simply sit on their enemy and squish them. No, dull, her life was not.

"But you get used to it," she assured. "Then when things are normal, that seems dull. I think if I was confronted with real dull, I wouldn't know what to do."

A knock sounded on the women's door, and Phoenix's eyebrows came together in worry. "We haven't ruined the restroom, I promise Murakami-san!"

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey hovered over the door, caught in uncharacteristic indecision, long enough that it was probably starting to get creepy. Then he jumped and spun as a gentle hand came down on his shoulder. With a yelp, he launched a reflexive blade hand strike that was deftly caught and redirected by his father. Thank goodness.

Now that his brain had caught up, he couldn't envision a single scenario in which that reaction would have ended well, even with his boundless imagination allowing him to account for the impromptu presence of break dancing, alien robots, showing up to do the robot dance...he was getting off track again.

"What is the problem, my son?" As always, his father's calm voice melted away his agitation.

"Tonight was supposed to be perfect. I had everything all planned out and now..." He pouted, trying to come up with the right words to express the utter suckitude that was now the current state of affairs.

His father's brows rose. "Ah, I see. There is nothing wrong with making plans, but sometimes, unexpected deviations from those plans can come with great blessings. I had not planned on becoming a mutant rat when I purchased my baby turtles all those years ago, but the loss of my plans became the greatest thing that could have happened to me, for it gave me you and your brothers."

Mikey managed a smile at his father's attempt at comfort. "Yeah, but what about when plans go wrong and all you get is a ruined evening?"

His father raised an eyebrow. "In adversity, there is often opportunity."

Oh no. His dad was talking in code again. He had hella-respect for his father's wisdom, but sometimes wished his dad could just talk straight. Not even Donnie or Leo could consistently decode him when he was being cryptic. And Mikey needed to know what to do right now.

Splinter sighed and gestured to the door. "Just talk to her."

He grinned. "Thanks, Sensei."

Taking a deep breath, he held up a hand and knocked. His mother's voice called out in answer. "We haven't ruined the restroom, I promise Murakami-san!"

Splinter sighed and shook his head as Mikey chuckled nervously. "Uh, it's Mikey actually. Is Denim in there with you?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim hoped Phoenix wouldn't think any less of her when she tried to sweep this whole thing off, rather than dive into _why_ Cottontail bothered her. But she wasn't about to make a big scene. It was bad enough she'd tried to escape to the bathroom. Maybe it was good that she hadn't tried to bail completely and gone for the front door. It would've been ten times the embarrassing disruption. She sighed. Why was everything about her life always so damn complicated?

Well, there were two someone's who definitely made whatever was happening a little easier. One was tugging on her shirt, and the other knocking on the bathroom door. Her heart warmed. Even his mother had come to check on her. Her.

Denim looked at Phoenix and smiled. She wasn't sure what being a part of a family was like and certainly not one so big, but Mikey's mom had more warmth to her than her mother-in-law Connie ever had, and that was a comfort she'd always wanted. She sucked in a breath. _Don't get used to it. It never lasts. They never stay. No one ever stays_. A lump rose in her throat. But she could certainly _pretend_ it was real. She'd done that many a time. Make it good while it lasts. "Thank you for caring, Phoenix."

She turned, opened the door and Mikey almost fell in on her. "Geez, sweetie, were you leaning on it?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix ushered the three little ones out, picking up Alli, in a very public display that she was coming with her. Returning to the table, she put the girl on the table, out of habit, and then muttered something in French. "No sitting on the table at a restaurant," she said, picking the girl back up and looking at her son, as he scrambled up a leg. The pup immediately went to Leo's lap, his older brother accommodating him with no complaint at all. Antonello climbed into his chair beside his mother, and Phoenix sat with Alli still in her arms.

"Is he OK?" she asked no one in particular, looking over at the women's bathroom where Mikey and Denim were standing.

The corner of Zoe's mouth quirked up into the start of a mischievous smile. "Mikey just had a moment of clarity when the white rabbit tried sneaking him her number. The look on her face was priceless when she found out that he wasn't following her down the rabbit hole to wonderland."

Leo and Donnie had been unfortunate enough to be sipping their waters at that moment. Leo spit his out, trying and failing to get most of it back into the glass. Donnie choked on his and April started smacking his shell to get him through the coughing fit.

Karai snickered and Medusa hissed out a laugh. Arcos attempted to smother his chuckling while Raph and Aries didn't bother reining in their amusement. The children looked around in confusion, trying to figure out what was so funny.

"Zoe!" April whispered.

Zoe responded with mock innocence. "I just made a Lewis Carroll reference. I don't know what the rest of you are thinking."

Splinter cleared his throat and the table fell quiet. He glanced at Mikey and Denim, then smiled at Phoenix. "I believe they will be just fine."

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey fell on Denim, reached out and grabbed her arms, stumbling into the women's room but managing to right them both before a complete topple. He stepped back, his blue eyes darting over her as if checking for injury. The lines at the corners of those beautiful gems, and the set of his mouth, told her he was upset. She only hoped it wasn't with her. They backed out of the women's room into the hall.

"Are you okay?" they asked unison.

His features softened.

She smiled.

Then they did it again. "I'm okay, how about you?"

He chuckled.

She giggled.

He rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, want to talk about it?"

She could be having the worst day, and he'd send a joke at just the right time. It could be something small bothering her, like a nasty customer at work, Alli throwing a tantrum, or even a less than perfect family dinner. It didn't matter he could still make her laugh through it.

Often it was something bigger, something ongoing that would be with them for as long as they were together; like flirting mutants who would have their say to her, or reluctant mother-in-laws trying to accept that she was moving on; even the way they met was the result of humans being nasty and intolerant.

These and many more interferences were part of their relationship. And she could handle it. He was hands down worth it. He could distract her from anything, even sometimes when he shouldn't and they should just face whatever it was head on. Regardless, he always reminded her that he was going through it _with_ her and that they'd be okay no matter what. But when she was stressed about anything extra, like trying to figure out her place at the family dinner table, she found it difficult to deal with the crap she should be used to.

"You're not okay, Blue Jeans." He reached out, stroked her arm. "Is this about that server? Cas' I handled that."

Her eyes shot to his. "What?"

He shrugged. "I told her to hop off." He grinned. "Get it, _hop_ off?"

She blinked and his smile faded.

He wasn't supposed to ever notice them, he never had before. This was something she just took care of. They'd flirt, he was oblivious, she'd excuse herself, they followed her, told her what they really thought and sometimes she punched them in their nose. Other times, on a bad day, she just took it.

"Blue Jeans?" He took her hand, gave it a squeeze.

"Uh, you know what, I'm fine." She shook her head as if brushing the whole thing off and gave him a big smile, one she hoped convinced him everything was okay. "The rabbit is no big deal. I was just a little overwhelmed. You know with Alli climbing into your sister's mouth and all."

He flashed her a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that," his eye ridges lifted, "she won't actually-"

"I know," she interrupted, "Phoenix assured me. Your Mom is really nice, Mikey."

His smile widened and his eyes lit up the way she loved. "I know, she's great right?"

Denim nodded. "Yeah, now let's go eat, I'm starving."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Everyone at the table smiled when they returned, Alli squirmed in Phoenix's lap, holding her hands out to her mother.

"She ain't gonna let you go," Anton muttered with a scowl. "Once Gr'mare's got ya, yer stuck."

Phoenix blinked at the little boy. "Better make sure I don 't grab you," she said, squinting her eyes. "I'll make you take a nap with me."

Anton squinted back, his scowl deepening.

Alli seized that moment to break free and scurry back to her mother. Across the table. After the earlier interlude, everyone calmly lifted their plates, cups and utensils out of the way as she passed.

Amazingly, Alli's flight did not break the stalemate as Phoenix and Anton continued to stare. Having a keen mind for a child, Anton didn't fail to notice that his grandmere's arms were now free to make good on her threat. The war within him played out plainly across his features as he balanced backing down against the idea of being publicly held on her lap. Aversion to humiliation won and he looked away first.

But Phoenix didn't get a chance to bask her in victory in the battle of wills. The food had come, brought by a new waiter. The teenage boy was rawboned and splotchy with an impressive white-guy fro, carrying an enormous platter that his noodle-thin arms should not have been able to support. But he was professional and efficient in the distribution of their victuals despite having not been the one to take the orders, a welcome change of pace for the evening.

As everyone eagerly dug in, April caught Denim's eye as she swirled her ramen noodles onto her chopsticks. "So Mikey mentioned that you have a great new job."

Had Mikey mentioned it? Or was she under surveillance again? Her eyes darted to Donnie, who, catching her glance, ducked his head sheepishly while stuffing a roll of sushi into his mouth.

April's cheeks pinked as she picked up on the vibe of Denim's thoughts. "We're not keeping tabs anymore, scout's honor." She raised her free hand, holding her raised index and middle finger together in promise. "You're inner circle now, so unless there's a life threatening emergency, we'll be getting all our info the traditional way. Promise."

 _Well that's a relief, no more snooping into my private life._ Denim smiled at April, but it wavered and fell. Getting info the traditional way. Wait, did that mean getting outright questioned? Denim jabbed a gyoza with her fork but didn't bite into it. No. That would be silly. She was probably just making conversation.

She glanced around the table and realized everyone was waiting for her to answer. "Oh, gosh." She twisted her fork, cutting the dumpling in half a little too roughly. Part of it shot off her plate onto Mikey's.

He grinned, snatched it up in his chopsticks and ate it without saying a word.

"My new job. Yes. It is better." She shrugged. "It's still retail, but there is a small commission which is nice." Denim put down her fork, and sipped her water. "How about everyone else? I know Leo and Karai run the dojo. Mikey works at the pizzeria. What does everyone else do?"

"Raph and I bounce at La Vida Loca," Aries said. "It's a mutant friendly dance club about 30 minutes by bus from here. Get to beat people up _and_ meet beautiful women. Can't ask for a better job." 

Medusa perked up, "Not only that, but he keeps an eye out for the people that I need to bring in for bond/bail and give me a heads up when they're leaving." 

The ram blew on his three fingered hand and shined his fingernails on his chest. "Nice way to earn extra money." 

"Can you believe he tried to get 50% of my take when we first made this deal?" She gave him a black look. 

"A sheep's gotta earn money," he replied. "And you came out pretty good, I only get 20%. And it isn't like it happens all that often."

"Donnie and I have a tech start-up company, where clients can commission work or he just builds stuff, cuz...Donnie. We probably could make a lot more if we'd sell to just anyone, but we're pretty picky when it comes to who we'll sell to. I'm in charge of vetting potential clients, and I have a good eye when it comes to reading between the lines." There was a mischievous sparkle to April's eyes as she spoke that last bit, making Denim wonder if there was more to it than she was saying.

"And we help out April's dad with his antique and pawn shop, the Second Time Around, on the corner of Eastman and Laird. He doesn't get out much." Donnie chimed in. "You should check it out if your ever in the neighborhood. It's got just about everything. And Kirby is one of the nicest people your ever likely to meet, if a bit...eccentric."

The way he struggled to get Kirby's name out made Denim suspect that Donnie was still tempted to address April's father more formally, but had been coached into being casual.

Donnie scanned the rest of the table. "I guess everyone else belongs to the dojo though Phoe..." Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "...mom sort of has a side job."

"Before the war" Phoenix said, putting her fork down, "mutants couldn't go to doctors, so they came to me, instead. I was their doctor substitute." She smiled broadly at the description. "After the war, people started using the emergency room. I guess that is a good thing, because then they could have a real doctor take a look at them. I'm nowhere near a real doctor." 

"You do surgery on people, Mama," Medusa said. 

"No I don't," she gave the snake a hard look. "I loiter." She turned back to Denim, "But with most mutants not having medical insurance, and a lot of emergency room personnel pushing them back to the bottom of list, no matter what was the matter with them, I found my services were still needed. So I help out every once in a while." 

"In between getting arrested for loitering," Karai added. 

"But never arrested for practicing medicine without a license." Phoenix winked.

Denim could appreciate the need for Phoenix. It was hard enough for a human to get in to see a doctor, and she only knew of one hospital in the city that was truly mutant friendly.

"And I teach gymnastics, yoga and Kyusho at the dojo," Zoe said, reaching out and guiding a wiggling Antonello back in his chair.

Mikey had eaten all of the gyoza on his plate and skewered one of Denim's with a chopstick. She ignored him, having already eaten her fill. Beside him Alli played with the utensils she'd never used, pattering out an off-beat rhythm on her plate. Denim waited for Michelangelo to address her behavior since Alli was on his side.

Ignoring it for the moment she smiled at Zoe. "So you were a gymnast?" Her brow furrowed. "And forgive me if I'm not familiar with Kyusho."

Zoe nodded. "Kyusho is pressure-points based martial arts. It's really useful when you are small and fighting a much stronger opponent." She nudged Raphael. "Like this guy." She motioned to Arcos and Aries, "Or those two, and it's great when you're trying to fight Leo. When you actually get one in on him, there's some satisfaction in his surprised face. We don't get to see it much."

Leo smiled. "It's also fun watching Zoe try to come up with different attacks, because I memorize every one she uses on me."

Karai snickered. "It's just fun, period."

Zoe and Karai exchanged smirks and Denim thought there must be a strong camaraderie between the women.

Michelangelo still hadn't noticed Alli's drumbeat when it suddenly stopped and Denim looked over in time to see Alli slipping under the dinner table.

Denim lunged across Mikey's lap to swipe at the back of Alli's disappearing shirt, missing it by mere inches as her daughter vanished under the table.

Mikey winked as he righted her. "I got this." Then he ducked under the table after Alli.

She saw everyone else lift their cups and any other dishes containing liquid and wondered why until Arcos twisted in his seat. "Hey!"

The table jumped and she barely managed to grab her water before it launched. Alli and Mikey's glasses were lost causes, drenching her end of the table.

"Oww." Mikey's groan emanated from beneath the table.

Arcos just shook his head as he assisted a giggling Alli scale his broad shoulders. "Get back in your seat, Mikey."

"But..."

"I've got her."

"K." The table jumped a few more times as Mikey navigated his way back, spinning his own glass on the table and rolling Alli's onto the floor.

His smiling face peaked out at her from the edge. "Looks like we started washing our dishes for them. We're such awesome customers."

Denim tried very hard to hang on to her exasperation, but it was a losing battle. Amusement won and she ended up stifling a laugh.

Arcos, not seeming to mind that Alli was balancing in his shoulders and using his ears as support grips, turned his head slowly towards Donnie, careful not to dislodge Alli.

"I don't work at the dojo."

Donnie frowned. "Sure you do. You..."

"Moving heavy stuff around when the dojo needs rearranging is not what I do for a living." Arcos crossed his arms over his wide chest as he spoke. He returned his attention to Denim. "I'm actually an artist."

"At this point, from a financial perspective, it's technically more of a hobby..." April gave Donnie a pointed look, silencing him.

Arcos continued as though Donnie hadn't spoken. "Right now my apartment doubles as my studio and I accept commissions and sell pieces online. There's a lot of competition for space in galleries."

Denim read the subtext as admission into most galleries had more to do with the artist than the art. It was sad, but didn't really surprise her. Recent events had stolen what few illusions she'd had concerning justice and equality.

"Work is a little slow at the moment, so I do take the occasional odd job and yes, sometimes that means helping out at the dojo, to make rent." Arcos offered an encouraging smile as he explained.

Before she could comment, her breath caught as Alli leapt off his shoulders. Without batting an eye, Arcos plucked her out if the air and handed her across the table to Aries. Aries reluctantly accepted the squirming package, passing her back to her waiting mother as quickly as possible.

Yuuta made a move to get on the table, but Leo held him fast, and he settled back into his big brother's lap and sticking his thumb back in his mouth.

The group was now getting several looks from the customers, mutant and human alike. "Breeders," someone muttered. 

"Yo' Mama was a breeder," Medusa muttered. "Denim," she turned to the newest member of the group. "What are your long term plans for life?" The look on Denim's face caused the snake to burst out laughing. 

"Maybe start with something a little less intimidating," Splinter suggested. 

Still laughing, Medusa waved one of her little hands in the air. "What do you like to do for fun?"

Denim blushed. "Fun?" She bit her lip and glanced at Mikey. Truth was he and Alli were the extent of her entertainment. "I mostly just work to support Alli." She looked away from Medusa, picked up her napkin and began twisting the corner of it. "I used to target practice, but I can't really spare the time anymore. Babysitters are expensive." She cleared her throat, straightened and put a smile on her face. "What do you do for fun?"

Medusa wide face split into a grin and Denim wondered if she was going to like the answer. But Karai jumped in before she could find out. "Really? That's it? We're gonna have to do something about that."

Karai caught Zoe's eye. "Girl's night? 

Zoe nodded back with a wicked smirk. "Oh yeah. Definitely girl's night."

Karai turned her attention back to Denim. "Do you dance?"

Denim shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. "Uh, well not..."

Zoe raised her eyebrows. "We'll have to fix that too."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Raph started to protest, but Zoe cut him off.

"Keep your shell on. We'll stick to La Vida Loca. If you're lucky, maybe you'll catch a glimpse of us on the floor when you're on break." Zoe lounged back in her chair suggestively.

Raph's eyes followed the shape of her body down and he didn't even seem aware that he was nodding.

Donnie cleared his throat loudly. "You're in public...in front your parents."

Zoe rolled her eyes at him before turning towards Phoenix. "Mind watching Anton?"

Phoenix smiled. "Not at all."

Anton crossed his arms and huffed. "Why can't I come too?"

"Girl's night is for girls." Karai pointed out to him in amusement then focused back on Denim who was looking around for support as plans started forming rapidly beyond her control. "When's you're next night off?"

Her mouth was faster than her brain. "Wednesday." Mikey was working then and she wasn't sure she was ready for this. "But Alli..."

"...will have a great time with her grandmother, uncle Yuuta and cousin Anton." Karai finished for her.

Denim was still catching up with the idea of Alli having so much new family when Karai turned her attention to April. "Clear your schedule Wednesday night."

April shook her head ruefully, but didn't argue. "Let me know when you've decided on a meet time."

Zoe leaned into the middle of the table to look at Medusa down at the end. "Up for a little dancing or will you be busy hunting?"

Medusa let out a hissing chuckle. "I think I can manage to fit it in. It's been too long since I've made it out."

"Great." Zoe grinned at her before turning an appraising eye back to Denim. "That won't do though."

What wouldn't do? Denim looked down at her sensible outfit trying to assess what could be wrong with it.

Zoe and Karai shared a knowing look. "Makeover?" 

"Karai nodded back at Zoe. "Makeover." Then she addressed Denim. "I'll take you to Zoe's after you drop Alli off and we'll get you fixed up right."

Oh she did not like where this was heading. Frantically Denim looked to Mikey for a last minute save. He smiled sheepishly. "Don't forget to take pictures."

"Mikey!"

Karai clapped her hands together. "It's settled. We'll meet at La Vida Loca around 7. Denim, drop Alli off at 5. This will take some time."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

The evening went with few other hiccups, Yuuta was content to suck his thumb in Leo's lap, Anton was content to scowl in his seat, and Alli was kept in tow by her mother. Occasionally, Medusa's tail tip would appear in front of Anton, who pretended to ignore it as it poked him, until he could take it no longer and began to choke it, the scowl disappearing and turning into a concentrated grimace as the tail tip refused to die.

Dinner finishing, each of them funneled their money toward Donnie. Phoenix stood up and gave him a wad of fives and ones.

"And you wonder why the police are always after you?" Donnie said.

"Mutants who loiter don't carry bills larger than fives and ones," April said, stroking his shoulder.

Donnie sighed, adding it to the pile of money that was meant to alleviate he and April's burden for paying for dinner. Kisses, hugs, and good-byes were said by all. Leo kept Yuuta in one arm, his other hand hovering over the small of Karai's back. Anton held his mother's hand as Zoe and Raph left just behind Aries, Arcos, and Medusa.

"See you later," Phoenix stroked Alli's cheek, the toddler putting her head on Mikey's shoulder, before snuggling deep into Splinter's side. The old rat put his arm about her and smiled, nodding at Denim and his son.

Then, it was only Mikey, Denim, and Alli outside of Murakami's noodle shop. "That," Mikey shrugged, "didn't really go the way I planned."

Denim let out a startled laugh. "What do you mean? I think it went well." Her eyes drifted from his to the little girl snuggled up to his shoulder. "I mean, I'm not so sure about the girls giving me a makeover, but-"

"Really?" he interrupted her, the hope in his voice a striking chords in her heart. "Really, you thought it went well, even with all the, you know, _stuff_?"

Denim smiled. "Yes, even with all the _stuff_."

She meant it, as the night had gone on she had begun to feel a little more comfortable. No, she wasn't thrilled at the prospect of a makeover and still wasn't sure where she fit in, but… "Mikey, the idea of being part of a family, especially a big one... Allison will love that. It's more than I ever had, even if it is messy and awkward." She raised her eyebrows. "As long as no one _eats_ anyone else, I'm pretty sure we can get through just about anything."

Mikey stared at her, his mouth fixed in a sweet smile.

She reached out, brushed Alli's hair from her eyes, and whispered, "Mikey, she's out."

"Yeah," he leaned forward, pressed his lips to hers. "But you are so in."

Denim kissed him back, a giggle flitting up from her chest. "What are you talking about? I mean Alli, she's sleeping. We should get her home. Are you staying with us tonight?"

"About that," he let out a nervous laugh and her heart sank.

Did he have to go out with his brothers? She didn't remember him saying so, and she knew he wasn't working. Maybe the night really hadn't gone that well, at least maybe he didn't think so. It wasn't like him to turn down an offer to stay over.

"Well don't leave a guy, hangin', Blue Jeans." He began making a whiny noise and she realized she hadn't been paying attention to what excuse he'd given for not wanting to stay the night.

"What? I'm sorry," she shook her head, a lock of hair tumbling in her eyes, "I must've zoned out when you didn't say yes right away." She frowned. "No, isn't exactly what I was expecting." She kept her gaze on Alli but tried to make sure she listened to what he was saying this time.

"Uh, I didn't say no. I, uh- asked if you wanted to move in together? We could move into your apartment, or mine, or-" His voice came out a jittery sound that he often made when nervous, and it never failed to melt her heart. "Maybe look for a two bedroom so Alli could, uh- have her own space." He shifted Alli from one shoulder to the other so he could look her in the eye. "So, uh, what do you think?"

Denim could've caught moths if there was a light at the back of her throat. She snapped her mouth shut. Blinked. Then it fell open again. "Uh, are, are, are-"

"Not a _pirate_ , an _apartment_." Mikey shook his head.

She let out a nervous laugh at his straight face. "You're serious. You want to _live_ with me and Alli?" She stretched on tiptoe to get closer to him. "Are you sure you know what you're getting into?"

Smoldering blue eyes peered into her. He reached up, gently brushing the curl out of her eyes. "Yeah, Blue Jeans, I think I do."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Donnie leaned back in his computer chair, applying the changes to his design specs that he'd thought up during dinner. As he let the simulations run, his not-completely-occupied mind reflected back upon the evening.

Denim and Alli were here and, by all appearances, sticking around for the long haul, to his immense relief. Not that he didn't love his little brother's hovering…but he didn't. Although he had actually needed to be annoyed into taking breaks from his work during their youth, he could see how distracting Leo from being overly serious about his training or poking Raph into safely venting his temper before it built up too much had been a good thing while they were growing up.

Now that they were adults, he didn't particularly appreciate that Mikey still thought he needed to fill that function, at least with him. And yet, every time April left town to meet with a client, Mikey would show up and insist that he'd stop working to have lunch and/or dinner with him. As though he would starve without April to look after him. He knew how to manage his time. Mostly.

With Denim and Alli to look after, pulling Mikey's focus, maybe Donnie could get some much needed space to focus on his work. It didn't hurt that he could now see glimpses of maturity in his little brother that he wouldn't have thought possible before Denim. Perhaps the goofball would finally grow up.

He could sense April enter his office, approaching from behind him. Leaning against the side of his chair, she rubbed his shoulders, delicious kneading that drove away the tension in his muscles.

"You coming to bed tonight?"

He scoffed. "Yes. I just wanted to run a few simulations on some new aspects of the energy cell design."

She chuckled. "And I'll find you passed out face down on your keyboard in the morning."

He was about to argue, when he felt her loosen his tie and undo the top few buttons of his collared shirt, slipping her small, agile hands inside to run her fingers along his shoulders, where his skin met his shell, firing off tingles at each point of contact.

She leaned in, her mouth barely an inch from the side of his head, and whispered. "If you do decide to come to bed early, I promise you won't regret it."

His mouth fell upon as his head turned, unbidden to watch her lovely frame saunter towards the door, casting him a wink as she disappeared down the hallway.

In a blur of green and purple, he was gone, leaving his empty computer chair spinning in his wake.

TSOTCTSOTC

"Do you think she'll bolt?" Phoenix asked, snuggling deeper into Splinter's bare chest.

The mutant rat stroked her hair as they lay in their low bed, his claws gently scraping the scar on her temple as he did so. With Yuuta asleep when they got home, it was a rare night of the two of them in their bed alone, with the rat pup in his toddler bed at the other side of the small bedroom. Being able to hold his mate without his youngest son in the way, was a pleasure he did not get to indulge in often.

"Denim is not Jennifer," he said.

He felt her stiffen slightly in his arms, and he squeezed her reassuringly. Arcos' break up with his human girlfriend had been hard on the bear, and while he was proud of how magnanimous Phoenix was when their children were together, her one admission to him of wanting to, "punch her in the nose" showed her true feelings on the matter.

"I don't want Michelangelo getting hurt," she said. "He's sensitive. You heard what Leo said when they made him break it off with her. He was a wreck."

Splinter recalled, many years ago, before Phoenix was part of their family but no longer their enemy, when she'd placed her palm, bonier than normal with her recovery, on Mikey's teenaged cheek and smiled at him sweetly. "Michelangelo," she had said, "you are so easy to be fond of." With those words, Splinter was sure that she had entrenched herself into the turtle's heart for all eternity. While the rat loved his sons with all of his being, he doubted that he, or Mikey's brothers, had ever expressed a sentiment of anything with the orange banded turtle being easy.

"I think that Denim has decided to stay for a long while," he assured her. "She was simply...taken aback by Michelangelo's boisterous family."

Phoenix chuckled, turning her head up to meet the tip of her mate's muzzle. Her lips brushed the tips of his, "I think you're right," she agreed. "I just..." She sighed. "...worry."

After the war, surprisingly, of all of them Phoenix had the hardest time adapting to mutant being citizens. She had not only accepted, but embraced the fact that her own animal children would not be part of society, a feat that Splinter found both disturbing and amazing at the same time. She'd allowed them to indulge in their talents and whims in a way she could not have allowed fully human children to do, since there was no expectation of a future-no job, no wife, no family, no children, no "what are you going to do with yourself when you grow up?". There was nothing to do with oneself once one was grown up. The war had changed all of that and left Phoenix feeling that, in the ultimate attempt to give her children a good life, she had utterly failed them.

"It is normal to worry," he told her, as he had many times before. "But it serves no purpose."

"Hai, Master Splinter," she teased.

TSOTCTSOTC

Karai lingered outside the room Splinter, Phoenix and Yuuta shared, listening to Leo. They'd arrived home before their parents who'd insisted on a much slower walking pace than what Yuuta had the patience for, and Leo had taken advantage of the opportunity to tuck the rat pup in. Karai would never admit it but she enjoyed listening to him tell Yuuta bedtime stories…

"The brothers found a potion that could change them all into humans. It was very tempting for each of them, until they realized they could not save the world if they were anyone other than themselves. They wouldn't have the strength they did in their turtle bodies. And they already were who they were meant to be. You see when you accept yourself then you can be your very best. When they put their desires aside, and the greater good of the planet before them, they were able to come together as a team and defeat the aliens."

He told Yuuta this story often. She wasn't sure if it was Yuuta's favorite or Leo's, maybe both. It wasn't as if Leonardo didn't have a lifetime of great stories to tell by the time he was eighteen. There were plenty Yuuta hadn't even heard yet. Hell, Leo's existence alone was a remarkable tale.

The light went out in Yuuta's room, signaling her that he'd gone to sleep. Karai stealthily made her way into their bedroom. Quickly, she reached into her dresser, rifling through for the nightgown she wanted. His reflection, in the mirror above it, was one of two reasons she knew he'd joined her. The other being she was able to feel him. She pressed her lips together, preventing a sigh from escaping. He probably knew she listened to him tell Yuuta bedtime stories most nights. But, he knew her well and never said anything. At least he hadn't yet.

"What did you think of dinner?" he asked. His voice was a low cool sound that slipped in her ears, travelled through her brain and shot straight to her heart. And while she'd grown to love that feeling, some part of her always hated it too.

She shrugged. "Denim has potential. She's perfect for Mikey. I mean he crawled around under the dinner table chasing her kid and she thought it was funny. A normal chick would've been totally humiliated."

Leo smirked.

Karai unbuttoned her jeans, and stepped out of them. "What?" she asked. Bored of speaking to his reflection she turned to face him.

He shrugged. "He's asking her to move in with him." There was a bit of a melancholy ache in Leo's eyes that gave her pause.

" _Sooo_?" She slipped her tank top over her head, letting it drop to the floor. "Does that bother you? I thought you hated the idea of him living alone."

Leo's eyes travelled over the curves of her body. "I do. And I like Denim, since she came along he's matured a bit. I mean, mostly when she's around, or if whatever is going on has to do with her. It's just, he's different, and I think it's good. It's just going to take some getting used to."

"He's still Mikey, Leo. He's just Mikey in love for real. Not just a crush, but for real. I mean you saw how he went off on that bitch rabbit." She reached up and unclasped her bra. "He's going to do more than move in with her and you know what that means."

Leo's lips parted, his eyes glazing over. He blinked, staring at her breasts.

Karai rolled her eyes and slipped the nightgown over her head. She popped one hand on her hip and waved the other at him. "Seriously? Can you think better now?"

He blinked again then his eyes shot to hers. "What?"

Karai closed the distance between them. "I mean that girl is human, and so is her daughter. She may be a sniper but close combat is not her thing and if anyone of us is a liability it's going to be the two of them. She knows the basics, but if she's staying around for good you need to talk to Mikey about training her. She's a distance fighter-"

"I know what she is, and I know what they've been through. She can handle herself, Karai. Mikey has no business training anyone, and unless I see a reason-"

"She's _human_ , Leo, joining a mutant-hybrid-alien family. You need to talk to Mikey, and someone needs to train her." Karai shook her head. "It's not just about keeping her safe, but the rest of us, especially Mikey. Ask Father. I'm right about this one."

Leo stared at her then did something she loathed. He changed the subject. "How are the books looking for the dojo? I saw we had a brown notice from the electric company again."

She huffed, blowing strands of electric blue and black hair from her eyes. "I hate it when you do that."

He gave her a tired smile. "I know. It's just, if Mikey's going to be more mature, I'm trying hard to let him. Besides, I promised Denim a while back that I'd stay out of their relationship." He reached out and rubbed her shoulder. "So about that bill-"

Karai swiped his hand away. "Don't patronize me."

Leo sighed. "I'm not, how is this patronizing? I asked you a question."

Her eyes narrowed. "That hand on my shoulder _that_ was patronizing. _That_ was, _I don't want to fight but I don't want to talk about this anymore_ , so let's talk about something else. Then you changed the subject."

He leaned close to her, his breath ghosting her cheek. "Could you please, lower your voice, I'm pretty sure our parents are home and Yuuta is sleeping."

Karai scoffed. "Leo, talk to Father about Denim. Trust me, if anything happens to her or her kid, Mikey or anyone else in this family, because you didn't, you will beat yourself up over it. And the damn bill will get paid first thing tomorrow."

She took a long deep breath and blew it out. "I'm working on securing some contracts with the troubled youth groups on the east side. They pay well, and double bonus for a goody-two-toes like you, you'll get to help some kids stay out of trouble."

Leo's mouth curled into a huge smile, the deep blue of his eyes almost glowing. "Really?"

Karai rolled her eyes. "Just, do what I said about Denim. And yes, really." She shrugged, tried to turn away from him. It made her uncomfortable when he looked at her like that. Like she was the heroine he always hoped she would be. She was never going to be that. She was always going to be damaged goods.

He wrapped his fingers around her bicep and she resisted the instinct to fight him. It was always what came first, the urge to struggle with him about any and everything. Yet it never seemed to bother him. He'd be ready for it if she randomly swung a fist at his face, and she had many times. But she was working on that. Sort of.

There was always the urge to fight any and everything, mixed with residual snake urges, and then there was Leo. The only person she could always depend on and she wanted to be that for him, too.

She allowed him to guide her back. He stared at her, the intensity of his eyes causing her heart to flutter. She could feel his breath on her lips, his fingers firm but gentle pulling her close. He kissed her slow and tender, until she slumped in his arms like melting chocolate. Then he told her two things. Words she wanted to hear and words that never failed to stir the ache in her soul. "I'll talk to Sensei, and, I love you, Hamato Karai."

TSOTCTSOTC

"But I ain't tired," Anton moaned as Zoe returned him to his bed for the third time.

"You had a story, and it's late. It's time for bed." She pulled his covers up then handed him his stuffed Franklin the Turtle.

Anton tucked Franklin in beside him then turned his head in the opposite direction. "But I can't sleep. I ain't tired." He pouted.

"You _can_ sleep. Just lay very still and you'll be dreaming before you know it." Zoe promised, kissing his emerald brow.

Anton let out a huff but stayed put. Zoe flipped the light switch and closed his door behind her, almost slamming into Raph. "Why are you standing out here? Shouldn't you be taking a shower, or in bed?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why don't you just wake him back up, huh?"

"I ain't sleepin'!" Anton yelled from his room.

Zoe lifted her eyebrows and waved a hand at Anton's door. She mocked the pouty facial expression that both Raph and Anton shared. "He ain't sleepin'."

Raph scowled at her.

"Oh, come on. Quit being such a grump." She reached for his hand, guiding him to their bedroom.

"I ain't a grump," Raph grouched.

Zoe snorted. "Right." She stepped over two sets of barbells and a pile of Raph's laundry on the way to their shared dresser. "So what'd you think about tonight?" she asked, fishing around a drawer for the oversized tank top she liked to sleep in.

Raph snickered. "I think that rabbit was lucky she didn't get beaten then eaten."

Zoe slipped out of her yoga pants and Raph let out a low rumble, a sly grin forming on his mouth. She quirked an eyebrow. "Forget it." She glanced toward the bedroom door. "He still isn't sleeping."

Raph sighed then took off his shirt. Zoe's insides heated, she had to look away from his broad shoulders, massive arms, and the nicks, chips and scars that only the two of them could find beautiful. She set her gaze on the marks adorning her own sculpted arms then reached behind her to unclasp her bra.

For the hulking mass that Raphael was he had stealth down, that is when he wasn't tripping over his own mess. He was behind her in seconds, arms encircling her waist, soft lips finding their mutual favorite scar, his bite mark, on her shoulder. He kissed the slightly raised mark, then her neck as she leaned into him.

Her head was foggy with all that he stirred in her, but one part of her brain was sharp, keen with instinct. "Raph," she hummed his name then clenched her teeth as he nipped her flesh. "He's still not sleeping. Let's not torture ourselves."

A low growl seemed to rise from his plastron before emerging through his mouth. She shivered, but managed to step away from him and slip into her tank. They crawled into bed and she snuggled up to him, tracing the dips and grooves of his plastron.

A smirk formed on the line of his mouth and she resisted the urge to climb on top of him. Antonello _was_ still awake. She could hear him complaining to his Franklin toy about how unfair it was that he had to go to bed when he wasn't tired. She enjoyed listening to him, loved watching him grow, knowing that in every way right down to his attitude, he was a miniature Raph. She reached up, stroking the scar above Raph's lip. Well not every way. Antonello skin was flawless.

She inhaled deep, her heart skipping beats as he pulled her close. He smelled of cedarwood oil, leather, somewhere beneath it all was the combined scent of their family, Anton's bubble bath, and her own honeysuckle body spray. She kissed his plastron despite the fact that he couldn't feel it. He was watching her, his jaw shifting as she inched her way up to his shoulder, tasting salt on his rough skin.

He yanked her up to him, pressed his lips to her ear. "I thought you said he ain't sleepin' and we ain't doin' this."

Her diaphragm rumbled like the strummed chords of a harp, her purr so loud she didn't need him to tell her she was making the sound.

"Mommy, you're makin' that noise again!" Anton shouted through the walls.

Zoe's cheeks heated, her purr coming to an abrupt stop. She dropped her face into Raph's neck trying to suppress her laughter. "Oh-my-gods."

Raph chuckled, the vibrato of the sound tickling her neck causing her stomach to flip-flop.

The bedroom door flew open and Anton stomped inside, Franklin tucked in the curl of his arm. "I had a nightmare," he whimpered, shuffling toward their bed.

Zoe bit her lip trying not to laugh. Her heart melted at the sight of him, far too muscular for a five year old, skin smoother than his father's, yet every feature of his face was exactly the same down to the peridot gems glaring sharp in the moonlight. His flannel Franklin pajamas were already getting too small for him and his favorite toy had been sewn and patched in more places than one. Zoe had never known such happiness was possible before raising a little version of her mate.

Raph rolled to his side, pulling Zoe with him and looked over her shoulder. "How ya' gonna have a nightmare if ya' never went to sleep?"

Anton scowled. "I just did." He inched closer to the bed, eyeing the spot in front of Zoe then looked at her with a frown on his face.

Zoe smiled, pulled Raph's arm tight around her, then opened her arms to Anton. "Come on."

TSOTCTSOTC

 _She was pinned against the hard cement floor, a heavy beam across her chest and hips, sending jolts of pain through her body via what was probably cracked ribs and pelvis with the motion of each labored breath. Too low to suck in enough smoke to drive away her consciousness, she could only scream as the fire crept ever closer to her pinned arms and legs, searing heat competing with her desire to hold still. Two separate agonies to choose between._

 _She thought she could almost hear someone distant calling out. Telling her to hang on. But she couldn't be sure through the haze of pain. And honestly, at this point, she didn't know whether or not she wanted whoever it was to reach her and save her or if she wished it would all just end. As the flames caught the edges of her pants and shirt, she definitely erred in favor of a swift death. Screaming her throat raw with complete disregard for how it moved the weight on her injured body, she just wanted it over._

 _Then a second beam above her snapped at is was devoured by the fire, dropping straight towards her face._

Sappho snapped awake, jerking upright and breathing heavily. The dream was the same every time. Dream or memory? It was hard to tell.

Clutching her chest to calm her hammering heart, she was grateful that she no longer had the ability to sweat. Waking up drenched every single time would be an absolute pain in the ass.

Sucking in fresh lungfuls of air, she staggered towards the hotel bathroom, dressed only in a black tank top and matching underwear. Fumbling slightly, she flipped on the faucet and cupped the water in her hands to splash against her face, driving away the searing remnants of sleep.

After a few ineffective swipes for the nearby hand towel, she flicked on the light switch and squinted through dripping eyes. There. She snatched it up and rubbed her face dry, taking a moment to examine herself in the mirror once she was done.

Her textured hair was cut short and choppy, in a pragmatic way that could be considered stylish if she made the effort. The structure of her face all geared towards statistical averages, designed to be unmemorable. Except the eyes. A starburst of mahogany emerged from her pupils against a back drop of gold, standing out in contrast with her mocha complexion. Whoever had been responsible for her eyes and let their artistic senses get the best of them and had probably lost their job for it. Still, from a distance, it all blended into brown and she wore sunglasses whenever she could get away with it.

Was there anything that remained that was solely hers and not a creation of the Earth Defense Force? She couldn't tell and there were no memories to compare against. With a shake of her head, she willed the thoughts aside. It did her no good to dwell on the girl who'd died in the flames. She needed to stay on task. Focusing on the mission was all that mattered. Getting through her existence one job at a time.

After one more deep breath, she exited the bathroom and pulled on a pair of jeans and plain, gray babydoll t-shirt, items left draped over the chair from the night before. Blend in. Don't stand out. Unmemorable.

Making her way towards the desk, she scanned the spread out pile of files, detailing her target. The one she'd been sent to retrieve for the greater good of humanity. Selecting a large photograph, obviously taken without consent or knowledge, she read the name printed at the bottom. April O'Neil.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Denim raised her hand to knock and hesitated. Was this really a good idea? Alli bounced eagerly beside her, sharing none of her trepidation. She could still back out now. Leave. Make up an excuse.

Before she could decide, Karai opened the door, smiling at her raised hand, frozen in indecision. Without hesitation, she reached out, snatching up Denim's exposed wrist and dragged her into the apartment, gracefully evading a squealing Alli who'd darted inside the moment the door opened.

Zoe, lounging on the couch within, tilted her half full wine glass towards Denim in acknowledgement.

"I thought-" Denim started but Karai cut her off.

"Since she had to drop off Anton anyway, it made more sense to all meet here. Medusa is going to swing by April's work and ride with her."

Denim scanned the room seeing no one else, but the laughter of children told her that Alli had found Anton in the room around the corner. The kitchen, if she recalled correctly from her previous visit. "Where are Splinter and Phoenix?"

Karai answered as she retrieved her own wine glass. "Father is tending his bonzai or meditating or whatever he does sequestered in his room until the initial burst of youthful energy ebbs. Mother is out 'loitering' but should be back soon. Until then Leo's got it covered. Right sweetie?"

Her teasing query was met with a very Raph-like grunt and Denim ventured forth to peer through the alcove into the kitchen.

Alli and Yuuta were both elbow-deep in a heap of homemade playdo on some wax paper in the middle of the table. Leo stood across from the, watching with crossed arms, clearly trying to ignore the fact that Anton was scaling his shell.

Karai took Denim's hand again. "Come on. Zoe's getting all our options laid out in my room and we've got a lot of work to do." As she started to lead Denim off, she called back to Leo. "You know Anton's coloring on your shell, right?"

"What?"

The last thing Denim saw before she was tugged away was Leo, spinning like a dog chasing its tail, in an attempt to get a view of his back, while trying to get a hold of an evasive Antonello.

Several sets of clothes were laid out on Karai and Leo's bed, clothes, clothes that Denim did not have in her closet. Clothes with lace and leather, clothes with chains, clothes with sequins, clothes that didn't seem much like clothes at all. "Uh..." She looked at the bed. "I don't know..."

"I know you don't," Karai replied. "That's why you're here."

Zoe pressed a glass of red wine into her hand, "This is the good stuff," she said with a wink. "It comes in a bottle, not in a box."

Denim stared at the glass. She'd been responsible for herself, and others most of her life, from other foster kids, to the biological children of foster parents, to Alli. What would it hurt her to let go for one night? She reached out, took the red wine and knocked it back in three huge swallows.

Zoe snickered. "That's what I did the first time I had a drink too." She glanced at Karai. "Isn't that right, Rai'?"

Karai smirked. "I'll do your make-up, Denim. I still do Zoe's. It's not like she wears it when she's not going out."

Zoe snorted. "It's been five years and I still don't know what the hell goes where."

"Oh you sure know where some things go," Karai pointed toward the bedroom door. "Antonello is proof of that."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "I was talking about make-up."

Denim eyed the dresses on the bed, drifting toward a coral-colored scrap of fabric that closely resembled a camisole or a slip, she wasn't entirely sure which. Maybe a slip length camisole? It was plain, but the shade is what drew her to it.

"That's perfect for you. It has a shelf bra, so it's comfy, too." Zoe reached down, grabbed the dress and thrust it at Denim. "Go, try it on. Karai never wears it, and I'm wearing this silver number over here." Zoe exchanged Denim's glass for the dress then grabbed her arm, guiding her toward the bathroom. Denim noted the woman was only two inches taller than her but had an iron grip. "I'll get you a refill while you change."

She glanced at Zoe's arm. "Oh, okay."

Zoe's auburn brows lifted. "What's wrong?"

Denim blinked. "Oh, nothing. Already feeling a little warm inside from the wine, I guess." She _was_ feeling a bit tingly already, but seeing Zoe up close was quite the distraction. The woman was breathtaking, built like a tiny lingerie model but her arms and neck were covered in razor fine scars and there was an unmistakable teeth shaped mark on her shoulder.

"It's Raph's." Zoe announced, piercing Denim's thoughts.

"W-what?" Denim's eyes met Zoe's storm-greys. "I'm sorry. What?"

Zoe smiled. "The scar. Raph gets a little frisky certain times of the year and he likes that spot on my shoulder," she snickered, "a lot, I guess."

Denim blushed. "Oh. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to stare. It must be the wine." She rubbed her face and groaned.

Karai pushed between them with a make-up bag in her hand. "Don't worry about it. If Zoe was ashamed of her body she wouldn't show so much skin."

"Ain't that the truth," Zoe laughed.

Karai tugged Denim in the bathroom, plugged in a straightening iron and set to work. Zoe disappeared only to return wearing a shiny silver dress that fell mid-thigh, paired with a pair of leopard print pumps. When she brushed her long auburn locks the scent of honeysuckle drifted up and Denim thought it a very appealing fragrance.

"So, Denim," Karai said, grabbing a chunk of Denim's copper curls then sliding the iron over them, "You said you did some kickboxing. How long did you practice?"

Denim looked at Karai in the mirror. The bathroom was crowded with the three women, and stuffy with the heat of the iron so near her scalp. Before Denim could answer, Zoe asked another question.

"Does Alli like pre-school? I've been thinking about putting Anton in kindergarten. Do they have a kindergarten class at Alli's school? Is it mutant friendly? I'm not a big fan of humans, no offense, I worry that he'll be harassed and he's so sensitive."

Karai busted out laughing. "He's more likely to beat someone up, the kids a freaking martial arts prodigy."

Zoe scowled. "I'm serious, Karai."

While the two made sisterly faces at each other Denim was stuck on the one thing that stood out most about Zoe's question. "You're not human?"

"No." Zoe's features darkened, the set of her mouth a firm line. For a tiny woman she was solid muscle and genuinely intimidating. "I'm a hybrid, some human, cheetah, hawk, and lucky me, sea turtle. Nope. I'm a freak in plain sight."

Karai's lip quirked up on one side, her eyebrows arched. "I don't know about a freak," she winked at Zoe, "but my sister in crime for sure." Her dark eyes shifted to Denim then back to Zoe. "And we can thank that sea turtle DNA for Antonello. Don't think any of us are sorry you've got that in you." She let out an amused laugh. "Now, the cat that makes up the most of you," she looked at Denim again, "you don't want to tangle with that."

Denim feigned a smile. She _was_ the only human. Unless Phoenix was, but that didn't seem likely, since she had some sort of healing ability. How could Michelangelo love her, a plain and simple human when everyone in his family was so incredible?

Karai was watching her, she could feel it. Denim's eyes met hers in the mirror then shot down to the sink.

"Well," Zoe announced, "I'm going to refill this drink like I promised."

Once Zoe was gone Karai lowered the iron from Denim's hair. "Spill."

Denim's heart beat in hard jerks. "Spill what?"

Karai scoffed. "Whatever it is that's got you blushing."

Denim looked at her cheeks in the mirror. They were a deep scarlet. Damn. "It's nothing. I mean. I don't know." She ran her fingers through her straightened locks. "Mikey asked me and Alli to move in with him."

"Yeah, and? We all know that." Karai reached for the make-up bag. "Turn." Denim did as she asked, Karai set to work painting her face, and Denim feared she'd end up looking like a clown. Karai talked as she worked though, which was a decent distraction. "There isn't much that goes on in this family that doesn't spread like wildfire."

"So what'd you say?" Zoe asked, thrusting a re-filled glass in Denim's hand.

Denim lifted it to her lips, blocking Karai's hands. She swallowed two huge gulps knowing she was supposed to sip it, but it really helped her nerves. "I told him I'd talk to Alli about it. Of course she was ecstatic, so then maybe became a yes. We're supposed to start looking for places tomorrow."

Karai and Zoe busted out laughing.

"What?" Denim asked wide-eyed.

Zoe pointed to the wine glass. "Honey, tomorrow you'll be nursing a hangover."

"All right, we're almost done. Huh, your face didn't take as long as I thought it would." Karai straightened. "You know what, you're pretty damn cute. Put that dress on while I find you some shoes."

The two women ventured down the hall and Denim closed the door, stripped down and tugged the dress on. She looked at herself in the mirror, her little hourglass figure, the dress revealing more cleavage than she thought she'd ever had on display. She tried to tug it up a bit but then the bottom didn't cover her butt, it was a skin tight fit. "Oh, boy," she sighed.

Then it occurred to her to look at her face, too. It surprised her that Karai hadn't applied the make-up as heavily as she wore it, instead went for a step up from a natural look, her lips a shiny coral that matched the dress, her eyes and cheeks dusted in warm earth-tones. "Oh, my," she gasped, her gaze lifting to her straightened hair, shining a deep reddish-gold paired with the coral dress.

"Well, open up!" Karai demanded. "Let's see our masterpiece."

Denim cautiously stepped out of the bathroom.

"Damn." Zoe eyed her up and down as she spoke, making her feel even more self-conscious.

"What can I say, I'm a genius." Karai smirked as she handed Denim a pair of strappy, black, high-heeled sandals. Oh hell, she was going to break a leg in those and not in the fun theatrical sense of the phrase. Denim reached out and took the shoes, committing herself to just roll with it for the night. Was this what is was like to have sisters? Or friends? She'd only ever really had Kyle growing up and he'd never insisted on a girl's night out, so she had absolutely no frame of reference.

The moment she finished lacing up the sandals and stood on wobbly legs, a cameral flash hit. Only Zoe appearing beside her with impossible speed, clamping down securely on both her shoulders, kept her from tripping backwards over her own feet as she staggered away from the unexpected light

"What the..."

Karai held up her phone, grinning. "Mikey did say he wanted pictures. This will totally make the rest of his shift."

Zoe laughed. "Make it really uncomfortable until he can get home, you mean."

Denim felt her cheeks heat up. They had to be joking. There was no way a silly photograph, in which she probably looked like she was caught on candid camera would be good for anything but a chuckle.

Karai disappeared into her bedroom as Zoe refilled her glass of wine. How many had she had so far? She'd lost track. And they hadn't even gotten to the club yet. This was such a bad idea. Especially with the heels. She knocked it back, feeling strangely more relaxed than she had in...ever, despite the circumstances.

Karai stepped out of the bedroom in a slinky, black mini-dress that tied back around her neck, leaving her arms, shoulders and back luminously exposed. With the high-heeled, leather boots that came up to her knees and her dramatic make up, she looked downright dangerous.

"Do you know when mother will be..." Leo stepped into the living room, three kids dangling off him like a turtle-shaped jungle gym and stopped mid-sentence the moment his eyes landed on Karai. Denim would swear that she could actually see his brain rebooting and giggled. Where had that come from? She didn't giggle. At least not unless Mikey was involved.

The door opened and Phoenix entered, hauling a large messenger bag with her. The distraction was enough to snap Leo out of his stupor, although his face still held that intensity whenever his eyes found their way back to her, but he seemed a little bit better able to focus now.

"Mother welcome home."

The little healer let out a catcall whistle at the sight that met her in her living room. "Leonardo," she said, dumping the bag on the floor in the kitchen, "what have you done?"

The turtle blushed, his blue eyes widening. "I didn't-I haven't-"

His mother laughed and kissed his cheek. As she did so, Yuuta swung from his brother to her, landing on her shoulders like a monkey. "Your father hiding from all the estrogen?"

"From all the babies," Zoe explained. "He was already in lala land before Denim and Alli got here."

Phoenix laughed again, bending down and giving Anton a huge hug. Alli, who seemed quite content to join in with the two boys, flung her arms around the older woman's waist. With a huge smile, she included the little girl in the group squeeze.

"I made a dinosaur, Gr'mare," Anton said. "Come see!"

She was dragged to the kitchen table as the door opened again, without knocking. April entered, wearing a yellow sequened tank dress with a v neck that showed off her curves. Her high heeled sandals laced to her mid-calf, and her red hair fell to the middle of her shoulder blades in red waves. Dramatic eye make-up, smoky and dark, made her blue eyes pop.

She was followed by Medusa, who seemed to take up the entire apartment before coiling in on herself. Wearing a bright red silk button up shirt, she accessorized it with waist chain, thin and silver, that gave her the illusion of hips where there were little to none. She had accentuated her darker green diamonds by using gold eye shadow to outline them, from the crown of her head to her chest, where the dusky yellow sparkles disappeared into the scarlet cloth.

Anton and Yuuta immediately abandoned Phoenix to launch themselves in their aunts' direction. "Hercules and the snakes!" Anton shouted.

Medusa lowered herself to the ground, opening her mouth, while Antonello grabbed her fangs in each of his hands. As if trying to pry her mouth open even wider, the little turtle, with a scowl that rivaled anything an angry adult turtle could muster, began to grunt. "Y'ain't gonna bite me, y'evil snakes!"

"But I am sent of Hera," Medusa hissed, "to kill Hercules." She then stuck her tongue out and licked him under his arm.

The little boy laughed and danced away, then scowled. "That's cheatin'," he said. "Hercules never got tickled."

"Oh, he got tickled alright," Phoenix said, picking him up. Her toned arms strained at doing so, but her face showed no sign that she minded. "Those stories are just much later in his life." She turned, so her backside faced the women. "Curly Que, go in my pocket and take out some spending money."

"I don't think La Vida Loca takes turnips," Karai said.

"But they take greenbacks." Medusa held up several bills.

"Mother, where did you get that?" Leo asked, his voice dangerous.

She flashed him a warning look. "You girls have a good time, courtesy of the Bulldogs," she said.

"What were a biker gang doing giving you money?" Leo asked.

Karai rolled her eyes, but said nothing.

"I have no problem taking legal tender from humans who just happen to not want to go to the emergency room for one reason or another and happen to find out where I am loitering for the afternoon." She winked at the girls. "Go on, ladies. Take lots of photos! It's been a long time since I've been in a club. I want to see how the young-uns do it."

While Anton rolled around in Medusa's mouth, Yuuta sat on her head and Alli pretended to ride her like a horse. Denim stared at the snake's open mouth, with Zoe's child rolling around inside it while she didn't seem at all concerned. The scene teamed with the wine glass in her hand had it beckoning her to finish it. She swallowed the last of her drink in one fell swoop.

"Oh, good you're done! We're just about to leave," Zoe said, plucking the glass from her hand.

April's eyes widened at sight of Denim. "Wow, you look amazing. Has anyone sent Mikey pics of you yet?" 

"Yes!" Karai and Zoe answered in unison.

April laughed. "Hate to tell you this, but that boy isn't going to make it through his shift. Mark my words, he'll be at the club before the night is over."

"He better not be," Karai remarked, shooting a glance in Leo's direction. "He'd better finish his shift and head home just like Leo over there."

Leo didn't hear her, too busy questioning Phoenix about the Bulldogs.

Denim looked down at herself, her cleavage staring up at her like beacons. She was practically naked…but somehow she didn't care. Her blood was all warm and her head had a nice numbness to it. So what if Mikey did or did not show up.

"Mommy!" Alli shrieked, tugging on the hem of Denim's dress. "You look so pretty!"

Denim looked down at Allison, then leaned over to get a better look. "Alli, what is all over your face?"

Allison grinned and Denim blinked, the child's smile starting to resemble Michelangelo's. There were purple and green dots all over Alli's arms and legs, her face had red scribble outlining her mouth, cheeks and eyebrows.

"I look like you! I puts make-ups on my face and dots on my arms and legs." Alli declared, her pony tails swinging.

Denim blinked. "Dots?"

Zoe, Karai, April and Medusa were laughing and Alli scowled at them. "Stop laughing!"

The room silenced, even Leo and Phoenix's discussion in the kitchen ending as the two peeked into the living room.

"Freckles, Alli?" April suggested. "Are you trying to draw freckles on yourself?"

Alli bobbed her head, her marker covered bottom lip jutting out.

Denim reached out to pick her up but almost stumbled. Six sets of eyes shot to her as Karai steadied her.

"Uh, just how much have you had drink?" Leo asked.

"She's fine, Leo. Relax. I'll take good care of her." Karai waved him off.

"Yes, freckles." Alli studied her mother, and Denim worried she was failing somehow as a parent in her current state. The other half of her was pretty sure she was going to fall on her butt at some point before the night was over.

Leo opened his mouth again but Zoe stepped forward, snatched Alli and passed her off to Phoenix while Karai guided Denim out the front door. "Hurry the hell up before he stops us," she muttered.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Sappho sat at the bar, pretending to nurse a drink, while facing casually towards the entrance. She was acutely uncomfortable in her unusually ostentatious clothing, but would have stood out more without it. Her look for the evening had been selected and dictated to her by her handler based on identification of her destination. How they planned for every possible contingency when packing her luggage was a feat that never failed to astound her.

Velour, zip up, ankle boots wouldn't inhibit her stability with their low square heel, while not seeming completely out of place in terms of footware. The black leather pants the appeared almost painted on were some kind of faux leather material blend, who's elasticity would not restrict her range of motion should an altercation occur. The silky, pattern-embroidered, royal blue tank top, clung tightly to her torso and would not give an opponent anything to grab should her mission degenerate into violence. For the same reason, her costume jewelry, a gold-seeming cluster of layered necklaces with matching, clip on earrings that dangled nearly to her shoulders would break or slip off easily without doing her any harm in the process.

Being already of a versatile style by design, her hair had required any appreciable change to the way she normally wore it, though the template she'd been sent for make-up application had been far more elaborate than she'd been accustomed to. It felt a thick blanket on her face and she couldn't help but feel like it made her stand out. The mascara hung heavy on her lashes and she could actually feel the black eyeliner encircling her eyes. The royal blue eyeshadow with a silver shine to it was tactilely less noticeable but it took an act of will not to worry the layer of pale pink, shimmery lipstick off her mouth. She hated this, but knew that something like it had been coming, the moment she'd overheard April O'Neil's plans.

She'd been shadowing the woman for most of the day, stuck killing time while her target was safely behind the secure walls of Hamato Tech. While she, handling mostly Kraang Legacy casework, wasn't usually aware of individuals chosen for mutant retrieval, the Hamato mutants were prominent enough on the watchlist to give even the EDF pause. After reviewing the profile of her target's lover, Donatello Hamato, the group must really be something, considering how the EDF must have been itching to get their hands on a mind like his. But acquiring him wasn't her problem. Collecting April O'Neil without drawing them down on the EDF was.

She'd finally had an opportunity when her target had gone to an outdoor café for lunch. Sappho had waited patiently, only a table away, but whenever the girl seemed inclined to go anywhere less public, she paused as though thinking better of it. By the end of the lunch, she started to suspect that April O'Neil possessed some sort of intuitive danger sense that would make her mission exponentially more difficult.

The only thing that made the whole day not a colossal waste of time was over hearing her reassure someone on the phone that her evening out at La Vida Loca would not get out of control. A crowded environment full of dim lighting, loud music and intoxicated patrons would afford her the best possible opportunity, especially if her target chose to drink, so she'd readjusted her plans, arriving as dusk set in to wait.

Hiding her discomfort under a mask of placid indifference, she'd sent away several prospective partners already, attempting to give the impression that she was waiting for someone, which, in a way, she was. Her blue, press-on nails tapped against the bar counter. She had to be careful not to snap the annoying bits of acrylic off prematurely. How long was this going to take? She hated this kind of cover.

A fresh crowd of patrons approached the turtle and ram mutants standing guard at the door, already looking a little inebriated. There was her target, in the yellow dress. Her elation dampened when she saw several members of the group, including April, great the bouncers with easy familiarity and hugs. Damn. That could complicate things. Especially with the large serpentine mutant already in their party. Since when did descendents of Kraang experimentation have so many friends, or much fun for that matter. They were usually paranoid shut-ins and often more than a little crazy. How did this one end up so popular? Especially among such a formidable set. She would need to do this carefully.

The red head in the silver dress, dragged the turtle bouncer into a passionate kiss as she entered. After giving a quick glance around, he shrugged and just rolled with it, giving as good as he got until her female companions started cat calling her to get her ass in gear and join them in the club.

Sappho stuffed down a familiar spike of envy while watching the couple, knowing that such easy affection was meant only for real people. It did her no good to long for something she could never have.

Her thoughts scattered as the woman turned to join her friends, facing Sappho for the first time, pinging off Sappho's facial recognition software. A ticker message ran across the top of her vision. With a burst of adrenaline, she could easily auto-shut down her handler's communique but had no reason to do so and would need to explain behavior later, so she let it roll. _Identified. Rogue agent. BioGen Division. Surveil. Do not engage._

Fantastic. As if her current mission wasn't already challenging enough.

TSOTCTSOTC

Medusa loved the smell of a gathering. Ever since she was a little girl, visiting the Cargo Bay of the Grey Cats with her mother, she loved a jam packed room. It was hot, just the way she liked it. It never got too warm, it wasn't like baking in the sun. The passive heat simply saturated the air, and then permeated her cool blood. The smell of sweat, animal, and aggression blended together. She could taste it each time she flicked out her tongue, and it slid down her throat in satisfying warmth, similar to something erotic, and settled at the top of her feet-long stomach.

Aries whistled when they came in, "Looking good," he crooned. She winked, her outer eyelid swathed in golden eye shadow, making her black eyes two dark holes that reflected the strobing light of the club. Raph paid her no notice, which he rarely did anyway, but tonight he had good reason. Zoe had obviously imbibed a bit before leaving, it seemed, as she was all over her mate like a flea on a dog mutant. Several of whom were dancing on the floor, where she wanted to be.

The snake took great pride in her ability to move, both in a fight and in a dance. Despite having no legs, she'd learned to manipulate her body in a way that could mesmerize an onlooker. Seeing someone stare at her slack-mouthed sent a thrill through her that nothing else could. She could beat almost anyone in a fight. She had to actually work to get a person enthralled at her plaited body on the dance floor.

It didn't look like she was going to be doing that as much as she would like tonight, though. Denim was already having trouble staying steady as Karai lead her to the pack of bodies all writhing to the music. Medusa liked Karai, a lot. But Karai was not the best when it came to babysitter duty. And it looked like Denim might need a little babysitting. _Guess I'm on guard duty._ She quickly twirled around Karai, Zoe, and Denim in a circle, like an orobous, and began to dance.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim had never had a chance to be a party girl, but she did love music. The upbeat, the volume, the bass quickened the beat of her heart. The rhythm was as intoxicating as the wine and her hips swung almost on their own. Her hands followed her arms, her body moving to sounds she could not get enough of.

Zoe and Karai looked at each other then Denim, Zoe getting behind her and Karai behind Zoe. The red heads lips brushed Denim's ear, "right foot forward then back, dip, clap, clap, turn."

April joined behind Karai, Medusa encircling them before slipping behind April.

There was a delicious rush of endorphins and adrenalin, a high she could ride... until the song ended. The next one started but the line was broken, each woman dancing on her own again.

Zoe leaned forward, whispering to her, "I'm going to get us a few drinks. What do you want?"

Denim glanced toward the bar where women were climbing on top and dancing. They were all smiling, shaking their butts, happy, free. The corners of Denims mouth tipped up. "I'll come with."

Zoe shrugged and the two made their way over. Halfway to their oasis Denim stumbled. Zoe's hand flew out catching her with lightning reflexes, but a human arm hooked around Denim's waist. She rocked back then forth before balancing herself. Her gaze followed the lingering arm up to the broad shoulder of a huge blond guy.

"Uh, I've got her," Zoe said, eyeing the man's arm, "thanks."

"Just trying to help." The man held his hands up and stepped back. "She's way too cute not to."

Zoe let out a low growl. "Yes, and she's way taken."

Denim stared at the man, but his face was blurry. She swayed and Zoe guided her away from arm guy toward the bar.

Zoe tapped on the counter and the bartender greeted her with a smile. "What'll it be, Z?"

"I'll have a bourbon and Coke." Zoe motioned to Denim, "My friend will have wa-"

"I'll have three shots of bourbon," Denim ordered.

The bartender looked her over, grinned and set the shot glasses in a row on the counter, pouring each one with a smirk.

Zoe straightened, gave her a look Denim couldn't really make out. "What're you doing? You can barely walk as it is."

Denim reached in her bra, pulling out a twenty dollar bill and tossed it on the counter. Then she picked up the first glass and sniffed it. _Whoa, just the smell burns. Gotta shoot that, like bad medicine._ She tipped the glass, keeping her tongue away from the liquid heat. She swallowed then gasped at the burn, picked up the next shot, then the next.

"Oh, girl," Zoe groaned, "Mikey is going to kill me if Raph doesn't first."

Heat coursed through Denim, the tingly sensation a permission slip to move how she wanted, without fear of judgment, and if there were scolding eyes, she didn't care.

The music changed and Denim jittered in place. "Oh! I love this song!" She looked up to the women marching in a line, dancing on the bar, then climbed onto a barstool. She held out her hand to one of them.

"Denim, no, no, no, _shit_ no!" Zoe reached out, but the bartender stopped her.

"You can't touch the girls on the bar, Zoe, you know that."

Denim was ecstatic. She was above the crowd, looking over heads and dancing by faces she could not see. She wasn't being stepped on, but she was kind of hot. She grabbed her hair held it off her neck as she danced.

"Oh, my gods this is amazing," she murmured, dipping low and shaking her butt. She let her hair fall, her hand traveling down her breast, skimming her curves as she dropped again.

As she shuffled by Zoe, Denim noticed April, Karai, and Medusa had joined her.

She could just hear Karai say, "Tell me you got a picture."

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho stared up at the woman dancing atop the bar. Given her state of drunkenness, Sappho had to give her props for balance and coordination. She'd been expecting dainty lush to do a face plant the moment she got up there. Impressive.

The other women closed in and the fierce-looking Asian woman with the two-toned hair turned to the rogue. "Tell me you got a picture."

The rogue shook her head and muttered. "Like this isn't going to be all over YouTube in the next few minutes."

Sappho schooled her face into an expression of disinterest. The rogue had looked like she'd genuinely been having fun on the dance floor and now appeared to be sincerely concerned for the woman rocking it out on the bar.

Lover...friends...fun. It didn't seem fair. Those things belonged to real people. Not creations of the EDF. Like the rogue. Like her. As painful as the longing was, she didn't begrudge the rogue for it. Who wouldn't want that if it were possible. But it wasn't. And soon the rogue would be returned where she belonged. Somehow that thought made Sappho sad. But hope was a dangerous thing in her life. Not to be nurtured.

Sappho's attention snapped back to her true target, who sidled up to the bar beside her. The bartender, ignored the dancing woman as though it were the most natural thing in the world, and for all Sappho knew it was, to approach April, leaning towards her, resting his forearms on the counter. "April. Long time. You need to stop by more often."

April laughed. "Well peeling Donnie out of the lab is quite the feat."

The bartender glanced around curiously, but April shook her head. "Not tonight. Girl's night out."

The bartender smirked at the dancing woman, who nearly toppled after a particularly flourished gyration, but was steadied by the snake mutant trying to coax her down, and set a full rock glass in front of April. "I see that. House whiskey on the rocks?"

April smiled, watching her friend dance. "You know it."

The bartender moved on to another customer after accepting some cash, April had tucked into the top of her dress and April continued to stare at her very entertaining companion with a mixture of amusement and concern.

Sappho had to give it to the dancing lady. She made for a perfect distraction. Pulling a small plastic vial out of a pants pocket, she snapped the top of off and discretely dumped the contents in April's drink. Specially designed for a Kraang-human genetic blend, she'd be passed out in no time. Hopefully, Sappho could slip out the back with her while everyone watched the woman on the bar. She didn't dare take the front with how friendly they'd been with the bouncers. And it would seem like she was helping a drunk friend to the restroom. Easy.

April picked up her drink, but paused before drinking it, instead just looking at it in puzzlement, as though she somehow new that something was wrong. The crowd of the night club, now collectively chanting encouragement to the bar dancer, surged forward in excitement. At least two people collided with April from behind, sending her glass flying, to crash almost inaudibly in the loud setting on the floor beyond.

Damn. She'd only brought one of those. Now her job was going to be a lot trickier. She'd have to wait for an opportunity to do this physically.

The bartender swept back, offering April a fresh glass. "On the house. Your new friends good for business."

TSOTCTSOTC

"I don't know if we should let her keep doing that," Medusa said, putting one of her think hands on the bartenders shoulder. "She's gonna fall."

He laughed, "Not with you catching her," he replied. "Shit, Medusa, she couldn't have hired a better crew than the bunch of you."

Normally she would have been pleased with the left handed compliment, but tonight she wasn't. She hissed slightly but knew it was lost in the din. She caught the acrid smell of chemicals on her tongue. _Early in the night to start drugging people, isn't it?_ Raising her head above the crowd, she eyed the bar about her, looking for some guy a little too close to a woman's drink. She didn't find one.

"Denim," she said, her face now level with Mikey's beloved. "Come down."

"You mean, get down!" She shimmied her barely clad bottom at the snake.

"You are going to be so embarrassed when we show you the footage tomorrow," Medusa warned, but Denim was already shimmying away.

"Excuse me," a voice came from below her to her right. A man dressed in black-studded leather was gaping at her. He was tall and broad, but nothing, of course, compared to her. His head was shaved on either side, leaving his mocha skin exposed. In the center, instead of a mohawk, he had long braids, that reached his waist. His dark brown eyes were lined with kohl, which Medusa felt he didn't really need. His long lashes framed his eyes more than enough. "Can I buy you a drink?"

Medusa blinked. Was he serious? She tended to attract two types of guys, neither of which she liked. Mutants tended to stay away from her, probably because she was bigger than most of them, and even in animal hybrid form, males didn't like their women outdoing them in the physical feats department. Biker guys, who thought they were hard stuff, often hit on her, until they saw her fight. Then they backed off. Mystical weirdos, that looked like they would break if they hit the sidewalk too hard or looked like the sidewalk would break if they hit it too hard, were the next group. They, too, tended to run after getting a good look at her...or seeing her eat.

This dude looked like neither.

"Tell you what," she said, lowering her head so she was level with him. "You get my sister-in-law off of the bartop, and I'll let you buy me as many drinks as you want."

"That's your sister-in-law?" the guy said, his wide lips stretched in a smile, his voice rising half an octave.

"Yeah. Get her off, safely, you buy me drinks. I don't get drunk, by the way."

He looked at her with big, brown eyes, blinking slowly, still smiling. "Ok," his voice went up another half an octave.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

"Zoe!" Raphael pushed his way through the crowd and she tried to step away from him deeper in the din. "Oh, no you don't." She heard him growl.

She glanced over her shoulder, then ducked between a cluster of tall people. She hated letting Denim out of her sights... She glanced toward the bar, watched Mikey's not-so-innocent girl drop it like it was scorching. But Karai and Medusa were still close, and she didn't want to hear it from Raph. Nothing had happened, Denim was a little rowdier than expected but she was just having fun.

"Karai!" Raph yelled, and with a peek in her sisters direction Zoe saw him going after whoever he could get to.

Zoe bumped into a few dancers, then squeezed between a cluster of people near the back. She would pee then go back like nothing happened.

Someone grabbed her ass, and she whipped around instinctively ready to set the groper straight. She snatched him by the hand, twisting his wrist around and back. Her eyes locked with the offender's beady browns. Why did he look so familiar? _Never mind, he needs to keep his damn hands off me._ "You'll be wanting to keep this to yourself," she growled.

He maintained his cool. "I was paying you a compliment." He stepped toward her, brought his other hand over her grip and pinched the pressure points on either sides of her wrist.

 _Wait. What just happened?_

Her hand opened involuntarily and the two engaged in a series of grabs and hand blocks. _He looks so damn familiar._ Zoe's teeth clenched. "Who the hell are you?"

She didn't know many humans, aside from her students at the dojo.

The dojo.

That's where she knew him from. He was one of Leo's students, she'd caught him watching her classes more than once.

His smirk repulsed her, but not as bad as he was pissing her off with his blocks. "Doesn't matter. I know who you are, and I'm sick of seeing you with that mutant." He tapped the inside of her arm at the same time jabbing a spot in her calf.

Zoe stumbled back, her heart pounding. That was two pressure point strikes, one more in any of three places on her body and he'd be in control. He went for it and she countered. He blocked her. Part of the bar crowd broke off, forming a circle around her and the stranger.

If he had a problem with mutants what was he doing in their dojo?

Brown Eyes went for her neck and she blocked him but not in time for his other hand to hit its final mark. Zoe's body seized. _How did he get one in on me? Damn Leo and his training._ Brown Eyes yanked her to him, flipped her over his shoulder and turned for the backdoor.

She was trapped inside herself, clawing at her insides her muscles twitching. _A little help Raph, Karai, Medusa, April, Aries, anyone!_ But as he adjusted her, Zoe caught sight of a commotion around the bar, and no Denim on top of it.

TOSOTCTOSOTC

Denim was having a great time until the crowd gathered around her and several patrons began catcalling, and grabbing at her ankles.

"Hey Baby! Are you a stripper? You sure dance like one!"

Their faces were all blurry, and their touch made even her numb skin crawl.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

One guy rubbed a hand over her leg, and another pushed into him, bumping his drink sending it sloshing across the counter.

"Want to come home with me tonight?"

Denim lifted a foot to step over the mess, but another dancer bumped into her and she slid.

TSOTCTSOTC

Claustrophobic in the crowd, Sappho pushed her way through the horde away from the bar, scanning the club for a new position from which to stake out her target. Near the back, she saw the rogue heading towards the restrooms, followed by a very determined man. She'd just made it to the restroom alcove when he closed on her. Sappho couldn't see exactly what he'd done but by the way, the rogue rounded on him, she could guess.

As much fun as watching him get a beat down would be, she had work to do. Sappho was about to resume her search, still pushing past people, when she saw the man engage the rogue in hand to hand combat out of her periphery. That their confrontation had escalated to violence wasn't what gave her pause. It was that he was holding his own. To her shock, seconds later the rogue dropped like a rock and was slung over the man's shoulder. And not a single of the many spectators to the fight was doing a damn thing about it as he strode towards the back door with his prize, preferring instead to get surly with the drunk woman on the bar.

 _Retrieve the property._

Shit. This threw a wrench in things. She'd miss her best chance to get April, to recover the rogue agent. How had an ordinary man taken down a hybrid?

Furious Sappho darted through the crowd, slipping out the door less than a second after them. The man turned at the sound of the door opening behind him, so thankfully facing the rogue butt first towards her so that she wouldn't be able to identify her later if things went south. Given the way this night had been, that wasn't an unlikely possibility.

The man's mouth curved into a smile as he scanned her up and down. "Another mutant-loving whore?" He tossed the rogue down into pile of black, plastic garbage bags, face first. She didn't even twitch. Seriously, was the hybrid unconscious?

The man approached confidently. He made a grab for her, which she deflected, shooting out a fist at his gut in retaliation. Quickly shaking off his surprise, he redoubled his efforts, taking her seriously almost immediately. Smart move. And he was good. Very good. But it didn't matter.

As she parried and deflected each strike in his barrage of blows, he went for pressure point strikes. Those only worked on people with organic nervous systems. So that's what had happened to the rogue.

When she didn't drop like her predecessor, he paused in surprise giving her the opening she'd been waiting for, taking the offensive finally. With her left hand, she aimed her fist at his throat. Caught off balance, he didn't have time to parry, instead, barely managing to block, using his forearm to defend his trachea. Fist metal under a layer of false flesh, her sensors relayed his bone fraction of the force of her blow transferred to his arm. An instant later, his scream of pain confirmed it. Unused to fighting through the pain, he whimpered, staggering back as he clutched his arm to his chest, abandoning the fight as though she would accept his surrender and walk away.

Taking the next most obvious opening, she plowed her right fist straight into his growing, activating her Taser component as she did so. His next scream was seized before it escaped his throat as the electricity coursed through his body. She retracted her hand, allowing him to collapse into an unconscious heap on the ground.

That was for screwing her plans.

At least she could return the rogue to the EDF and get back to work. Sappho approached the hybrid and was about to crouch down and examine the damage when a high pitched giggle alerted her to the approaching strangers.

She could hear a man's deep voice follow. "That ass is exquisite."

The woman moaned in response and staggered back into the alley, focused solely on the mutant ram bouncer, face deep in her cleavage as he cupped her butt to lift her off her feet, clearly intending to continue their encounter against the alley wall.

Fuck.

Faster than would have been possible for a person bound by human limitations, she darted back through the open door, closing it behind her. Her dash must have attracted attention. As the door closed, she could hear the ram mutant.

"What the...Zoe!"

Another missed opportunity. In a downright sour mood, she was about to slip back into the club when she saw April slip into the women's restroom. Alone.

Perhaps tonight wouldn't be total loss.

TSOTCTSOTC

Karai glanced back at hearing her name being called. Though her eyes caught sight of Raphael, scanned the dance floor to see Zoe disappearing among the patrons, her attention was on Denim. She'd miscalculated, and that was a rare thing indeed. Not that is was a bad miscalculation, but it was a messy one. And Karai did not like being wrong. Ever.

When a man grabbed at Denim's ankles, Karai had to rein in every cell of her body from lashing out and breaking the offender's hand off. Leo was going to kick her ass. Well, he couldn't really kick her ass, but he would try to kick her ass, and aside from her father, who really could kick her ass, it was the closest to an ass kicking she could get. And Karai did not like getting her ass kicked. Ever.

Then, to top it off, Medusa sent some idiot with dreadlocks to get Denim down!

Karai raised an eyebrow. Dreadlock Goth Dude was impressive. He didn't look impressive, he looked like a freak, but he obviously knew how to get men away from women dancing like strippers on bar counters. "Man," he drawled to one of the men reaching for her, "she can't go home with you."

"Like she's going home with you?"

He laughed and shook his head. "No, she's going home with _her_." He pointed to Karai.

Several of the men looked in her direction. She smiled and winked at them. They decided that they had easier targets elsewhere.

"You gotta come down, girl," Dreadlocks said, holding his hand up. "I got drinks to buy your sister-in-law."

"Sister-in-law?" she asked, stumbling slightly. She had a sister-in-law? Parts of her mind said different things. _It would be nice to have a sister-in-law,_ and _Kyle was an only child,_ and W _ould't it be nice if it were legal for Mikey and I to get married and we could have all kinds of sister-in-laws..._ It was then a sister-in-law in question popped her head up in front of Denim's. Medusa's black eyes stared at her. _Is this my sister-in-law?_ Denim couldn't recall what the proper word for her was.

"Time to get down," the snake sang, as if talking to a little child.

The tone of voice rankled Denim slightly, and she wanted to agree with the male voice that said, "Hey, get out of the way, I was here first."

"Didn't you see the red head go for the back door?" Dreadlocks said calmly. "He's going to get Aries."

"Who the hell is Aries?" the guy asked.

"The big ram bouncer," Medusa turned her beady eyes on Grabby-Leg.

Grabby-Leg hoofed it to the dance floor.

Karai held her hand up to Denim. "Come on down, Sparkles."

Denim complied, wobbling her way onto a barstool and then the floor. She smiled widely. "That was fun."

"It looked like it," Karai told her, leading her out to the dance floor.

"Where's April?" she asked.

"She went after Zoe, I think," Karai answered. "To the bathroom, I'm guessing."

TSOTCTSOTC

"Is that your girlfriend?" the woman with the great butt asked Aries.

"No, she's my sister-in-law," the ram replied. "Fuck, Zoe. What's the matter?"

"I thought you said the Asian chick was your sister-in-law," Butt Girl asked.

"She is," he bent down to examine the small redhead.

"How many sisters in law do you have?" Butt Girl demanded.

"Too many," he groaned.

"Is she breathing?"

"Yeah," Aries said, a sheepish shake in his voice. "You can't be this drunk yet." He looked up to see a man collapsed just to the left of the dumpster. "Oh, nononono."

"Nononono what?" asked Butt Girl, stroking one his long ears, as his head was at her shoulder height with him bending down.

"Do not tell me this fucker drugged her," he stood up just as the back door opened.

"Zoe?" Raph's voice was strained. "Shit! What's this?"

"Isn't there supposed to be a bouncer in the club at all times?" asked Butt Girl.

The two mutants looked at each other a moment, as if each one daring the other to back down and go back inside. Finally, Aries huffed, his nostrils flaring as he did. "I think the dude might have spiked her drink." He then went in the club leaving Raph outside with his mate.

Butt Girl looked down at the unconscious man. "If he spiked her drink," she asked the mutant turtle. "Why is he down for the count?"


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

"Hell if I know. But he better be glad he is," Raph grumbled. He pulled Zoe upright. "Hey, Z, you okay?"

Raph looked her over but didn't see any marks. Zoe moaned, raised a hand to her face. "Fuck." She rubbed her eyes and blinked. "Fuck!"

Raph's eye ridges rose and fell. "So he didn't drug you? That's good for him, too. But if he didn't drug you, how the hell'd he get you down?"

Zoe's face darkened a shade of red that near matched her hair. "Your brother trains him!"

Raph's eyes widened. "Come again?"

Zoe pushed Raph back and staggered to her feet. "He's a student at the dojo. He's been training with Leo for as long as I can remember. Thing is, he made some remark about mutants. Like he's a closet hater or something." Zoe marched over to the guy, rolling him over with her shoe. "I don't know his name, but Leo will for sure."

"If it's his real name," Raph growled. "He got a wallet, ID, on him?"

"What kind of bouncer steals a down guy's wallet?" Butt Girl asked.

Zoe and Raph stared at her, long and hard, Butt Girl held up her hands. "Forget it. I didn't see nothin."

Zoe took a threatening step towards the woman, but Raph held up a hand and shook his head. Zoe spoke through clenched teeth, her hands balled into fists. "He's not taking the asshole's wallet. He's looking to find out who he is. Or didn't you hear him say that?"

"Z, she's got nothin ta do wit this." Raph beckoned Zoe to him then looked at Butt Girl and motioned with his eyes towards the door.

Butt Girl took the hint.

Raph pulled the man's wallet out, leafed through it and revealed three ID's. "They're all different."

Zoe eyed the man. "Take them. We'll give'm to Donnie and talk to Leo about him."

"Don't tell me what to do." Raph barked. "I _know_ what do." He stuck the ID's in the pocket of his jeans.

Zoe poked at the guy, and frowned. "What the hell happened to him while I was out?" She looked closer. "His arms broke, and I sure as hell didn't get the privilege." She let out a low cattish growl. "I should break his other."

Raph reached out and took her hand. "We're going ta have ta settle up with him another night. I can't call the cops on him, not when he's worse off than you."

Zoe's teeth ground together so hard Raph could hear it. "Z, you should get back inside. We'll leave his ass for the Wanderers. He'll be lucky if they don't show him a mutant good time."

Raph tugged on her arm but she didn't move. "Z, I know you want to finish this but," Raph motioned to the guy, "someone beat you to it."

It was then that Raph thought Zoe's teeth would break. She hissed, then stomped to the back door of the club, put her hand on the handle and stopped. She closed her eyes, slowed her breathing, and Raph was proud of her. In the five years they'd been together she'd really learned to reel herself back in. He only hoped no one else was dumb enough to try anything on her. Even with all the progress, she probably couldn't pull it off twice in one night. Maybe it was time to try and get her to go home. He glanced at his phone, when he looked up again she was gone.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim was dancing with Karai, but the floor wasn't as much fun as the bar. Why'd she have to get down anyway?

She kind of wanted another drink or two. A glance toward the bar showed Medusa having a drink with the dreadlock guy that insisted she get down. Denim's lips curled into a smile. _Glad she's having a good time too. But I'm starting to miss my Mikey._

"What're you pouting for?" Karai yelled over the music.

Denims cheeks rushed hot, even with the burn of alcohol still coursing through her.

Karai smirked. "Miss him already, huh?"

Denim looked toward the bar again and spotted Zoe stomping towards it. The hybrid reached in her bra and slapped cash on the counter. The tender responded by pouring her four shots. Zoe looked around, spied Denim and beckoned to her.

Denim motioned to Karai. "Zoe wants us."

The two women approached the red-faced hybrid, and Karai reached out for her instantly. "What's wrong?"

Zoe took a shot, motioned for Karai to take one, and thrust another in Denim's hands.

Karai swallowed her drink and cocked an eyebrow. "I thought we agreed Sparkles was done."

Zoe's eyes darted from Medusa on the other end of the bar, to Denim, back to Karai. "Where's April?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho started towards the restroom when she had to flatten herself against the wall to avoid being run over by the turtle bouncer. Right he'd been the one making out with the rogue when she'd first arrived. It looked like he'd gotten the memo. Maybe the ram bouncer had contacted him.

She slipped into the restroom, which was somehow mercifully empty except for her target. That never happened in places like this. Her luck must finally be balancing out.

Her best bet was to hit hard and fast when her quarry exited the stall. But she didn't want to tip her hand. She'd wait by the sinks and blindside April into the far wall when she exited the stall.

Then the door opened behind her and her hands clenched in frustration. She forced them open and turned to the mirror, pretending to primp.

It was the ram founder's alley side piece. Again. What was it with this woman and screwing up her work. And it looked like she'd be here a while considering how much putting back together she had to do after her romp out back. Fan-fucking-tastic.

She was only one witness and hadn't paid Sappho much mind since she'd entered, being somewhat self-focused. Sappho could have her out cold and stashed in a stall before April finished her business.

Then the door opened again and she wanted to groan audibly. Opportunity gone. Especially since it was the Asian woman that her target had entered with and she was impatiently waiting outside April's stall.

"Take your time why don't you?"

April blinked at the greeting before laughing. "What's wrong now?"

Asian girl crossed her arms. "Zoe's in a mood. You're the touchy-feely emotional guru. Fix it. She's killing my night."

April rolled her eyes and went to wash her hands.

The door burst open and the rogue burst in with bar-dancer, barely getting her to a stall before she tossed her cookies.

As the other two closed ranks, Sappho sighed and stalked out to seek another stake out position. But she was already pretty sure this night was down the tubes.

TSOTCTSOTC

Medusa sighed as she waited outside of the bathroom, and rolled her eyes. No one could tell she was rolling her eyes, as she didn't have any whites to show when she did it. While La Vida Loca was mutant friendly, it's restroom was not Medusa friendly. The large snake couldn't fit in any of the stalls, and was long enough to take up most of the bathroom. She'd been asked, not in this establishment, but several others, to please refrain from using the restroom. She wasn't entirely sure how other large mutants managed. She managed by having a bladder of steel. Her bladder of steel didn't help with her self appointed task of watching Denim. She reminded herself, _It wasn't my job to watch her. I am just here for a girl's night out._ Still, she felt slightly guilty as she heard hard retching coming from the restroom. A woman in skin-tight pants stormed out.

"Bad break up?" Dreadlocks asked, handing Medusa her drink.

The snake shrugged. "Don't know," she replied. "Don't really care." The sound of retching hit her ears again. She opened the door, "You OK in there?"

"Dancing's done for the night," April called.

"No, I"m OK." Denim's voice argued weakly.

"She doesn't sound OK," Dreadlocks said.

Medusa stuck her tongue out, but then immediately drew it back in her mouth. "You smell like puke," she muttered, closing the door again.

"I do?" he asked.

Medusa turned to look at him, her tongue darting out again. "Not you, her."

The restroom door opened again, Karai leading the way as Zoe and April held Denim up. "I'm not going home yet," the kunoichi said. "Not until you're way sobered up."

"We can't just let her hurl all night," April said.

"I won't hurl again," Denim squeaked. "I don't think."

"You're looking a little green," Dreadlocks noted.

"No one asked you," Karai huffed, heading for the backdoor.

"We're too good for the front door?" Medusa asked, craning over the women like an umbrella.

"Raph's out back," Zoe's voice was tight. "We can tell him we're leaving."

"Aww, you're leaving?" Dreadlocks asked, his long legs keeping time with Karai's quick steps.

"Sparkles is coming home with me, remember?"

He looked back at Denim, his long hair whipping with the turn of his head. "You know, Cafe Siene is open until 1 in the morning. You can go there and get some coffee. It's mutant friendly."

"One in the morning?" Zoe asked. "Who drinks coffee at one in the morning?"

"I do," Dreadlocks answered. "I do poetry readings there."

Medusa stopped slithering. "You write poetry?"

Karai rolled her eyes.

April, Zoe, and Denim almost collided with Dreadlocks.

"Yeah," he answered. "All the time."

TSOTC

Denim's throat hurt from retching. The room was still spinning, and she was pretty sure Medusa was right. She smelled like puke. "I don' wan' coffee. Water, but nooo coffee."

She let out a groan, and leaned on April a little more than she liked. Zoe was letting off an electric current that was jolting Denim, even through her drunkenness. But April was calm and therefore the preferred shoulder of the two.

Denim lifted her head, tried to focus, but found that made her stomach turn again and closed her eyes. "Don' wan' coffee, but can no pick up Alli like this."

"Well that's fine, cas' you're not gonna," Raph said, appearing beside Zoe.

The girls, and Dreadlocks, all looked at him.

Raphael crossed his arms in a very Leo like way. "I talked to Leo and he said Alli's sleepin.' Phoenix agreed that she and Anton can stay the night." He looked at Zoe and waved a hand toward the backdoor. "He's on his way to see his student out back there."

"You called Leo?" Karai yelled. "Why the hell did you call Leo? We can handle one drunk girl, Raph." She scowled, her hands balling into fists. "What the actual hell!"

Zoe opened her mouth then snapped it shut and shook her head. April remained silent, and Medusa looked curiously in Zoe's direction.

Raph leaned forward, looked Denim over with a smirk on his face. "Then I talked to Mikey, and he's on his way to pick you up." He cringed. "But you might want to see someone about a breath mint before he gets here."

"Really, Raph?" Karai stepped forward, pointed a finger at him. "When, and why did you make all of these calls? We have everything under control." She glared at him and he squared his shoulders.

Karai huffed, looked away then back, speaking through clenched teeth. "You realize I'm going to get an earful that will go on for days, right? Why would you do this?"

Raph met Karai with an even gaze. "Oh, so you don't know yet. One of Leo's students got into it with Zoe. I still don't get what happened, but somehow he got her down and Aries found her in the alley out back. So yeah, parties over."

Everyone looked at Zoe who all but had flames in her eyes. Denim thought they looked like storm clouds, she half expected lightning bolts to shoot from them, right at Raphael.

Karai wheeled on Raph. "She looks fine to me. Might be pissed at you right now though."

Raph quirked an eye ridge. "I'm sorry, did you not hear me the first two times? He's a student from the dojo. Leo's pissed. Plus, someone took the asshat down and it wasn't Z. So there's that shit too."

He pointed at Denim but didn't take his eyes off Karai, "And you mean to tell me that you, April, Medusa, and Zoe could not keep her from getting so trashed she's in the bathroom hurling?"

Denim gave a weak protest. "I don' need a babysitter. I can take care of myyyyselfff. Been doin' it all ma life. Just wanna have sommme funn."

Raph snorted, gave each one of them a disapproving look. "Yeah, well fun ends when one of you gets attacked. You girls gotta look out for each other better."

"We're fine." All five women said in unison.

"Well that's good," Raph pointed behind them, "The _we're fine_ club can explain to Leo and Mikey what happened here tonight. I'm going out back to wait for them."

The girls all looked away, letting out a synchronized groan.

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho had almost made it back to the bar when she looked back and saw the crowd containing both her targets exit out the back door. While they still maintained safety in numbers, at least she'd be able to get out of the building for a bit.

Working her way towards the front door, a lanky, reptilian mutant with green scales and a large, yellow head frill stepped into her path. "Looks like your date stood you up, eh? I promise that I'm good company."

Shoot. She needed to leave. What would a normal person say? "Uh...no thanks."

She started to move past him when his hand shot out to grip her arm. "Got some kind of problem with me? Just trolling out on the wild side for some kind of thrill?"

She stared up at him blankly, trying to grasp what he was getting at. Why did making sense of people have to be so hard?

She tugged her arm free, surprising him with her strength. Crap. Too noticeable. "I really have to go."

The mutant scowled. "Now look her, miss too good for the likes of us..."

"Maybe it's just you she doesn't like?" An enormous, she wanted to say yak mutant approached from behind her.

The lizard turned his attention to the yak. "Keep your snout out of my business."

The yak crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Make me."

Several more lizard mutants emerged from the crowd to join their friend.

What was going on? Whatever. She didn't have time for this. She needed to get out to her targets. Silently slipping into the crowd, she darted out the front door as the lizards surrounded the yak.

Once outside, she took a long deep breath of fresh air, sparing a moment to appreciate the relative silence as all that remained of the din was the sensation of muted bass through the door.

Casually stepping into the alley opposite the one, she expected the club to exit into, she looked for a way onto the roof and found nothing but sheer brick walls. Not even a dumpster. Well crud. At least it was late and dark. With luck no one would see.

She started peeling off her blue acrylic nails and cursed internally when she found one already missing. She must have lost it in the fight with the hybrid's assailant. Useless junk. Hopefully it would go unnoticed or, if it were found, at least no one would be able to connect it to her. There had to be countless women in the city with cheap, fake nails. Stuffing the remaining hindrances into her almost uselessly small pocket, she dug her nails into the wall and began to climb. It didn't take her long to reach the top.

Silently, she crept the edge, crouching behind the ledge and listened, not daring to risk getting caught by peering over the side. This was a perceptive lot. She heard the door open.

"Raph, get your shell back in here!" It sounded like the ram mutant having an assignation in the alley.

"I'm kind of in the middle of something here." The turtle bouncer who'd kissed the hybrid.

"You mean standing and waiting? The waiting will continue without you. There's a huge fight tearing up the club and I could use your help." The ram sounded angry.

"But..."

"Raph, I need this job and I'm pretty sure you do to, so get your shell in gear and help me before they take the property damage out of our pay!"

The turtle answered with a growl and she heard the door close again.

The silence stretched out below her and Sappho settled in to wait.

TSOTCTSOTC

April stood in the alley, supporting Denim's head on her shoulder as Mikey's girlfriend fought valiantly to keep her eyes open. She glanced over at Medusa, coiled up at the entry to the alley, looking less than pleased as she avoided flicking her tongue out. April could empathize. They were both stone-cold sober and had barely gotten any dancing in before things had spiraled out of control. So much for a night out. She was definitely going to talk to Leo about volunteering Zoe and Karai to 'help' her out with the training of her psychic powers.

Zoe leaned against the dumpster glaring daggers into the unconscious man on the ground as Karai had strategically positioned herself between the two. Preventing Zoe from doing something...unfortunate, before Leo could get a crack at the assailant was probably her last chance at damage control. April would have to resign herself for the next few weeks at the dojo being strained and awkward until Leo and Karai got their rhythm back. As their relationship was something of a tumultuous nature, it happened fairly periodically.

Raph would probably still be out here bossing it up, if there hadn't been an altercation inside that had been big enough for Aries to call him in for back up. She was curious, but there were too many people with conflicting thoughts and emotions, all on overdrive to zero in on anything in particular with her powers.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that they were calling the night early. Her 'spidey sense', as Mikey called it, had been going off all night, although she couldn't pin point the trigger. She didn't think it was the loser on the ground as it had alerted her to take her time in the bathroom, after the alley-napper had gotten his mystery beat down. Probably better to just get out of here once the entire clan was done convening in the alley. They would only be short Arcos and their parents.

The back door opened and Dreadlocks cheerfully burst through, turning to April.

"Uh...?"

"Someone ask for water and breath mints?" He held up a clear plastic bottle and a roll of Menthos. She reached out to accept them, no warnings triggered, as Medusa slithered over, eyeing him questioningly. "What? They're your crew right?"

Medusa released a hissing laugh as she surveyed the lot of them. "Yes. You could say that."

He edged towards her as April worked the cap of the bottle off and jostled Denim up enough to manage a sip.

"I'm doing a reading, tomorrow at seven at the café, if you're interested in stopping by." Dreadlock's offered hopefully.

Medusa's broad mouth turned up in a smile. "Sounds like a good time."

Dreadlocks grinned and April couldn't help but smile as she popped a mint into Denim's mouth. At least the night hadn't been a total wash. It looked like Medusa was making good.

Medusa's head cocked towards the alley entrance and April could sense the others approaching. Medusa turned back to Dreadlocks. "It's about to get crowded here, so..."

He got the hint, casting her a wink before slipping back through the door. "Tomorrow. Seven."

Leo stalked into the alley, followed closely by Mikey and Don. 

"Aww, Blue Jeans..."

"I'mmm fine. Alley's not. Spinning."

April gently transferred Denim over to Mikey who braced her against his side as he glared at Zoe and Karai. "Seriously?"

Karai looked away.

Zoe gave him a shrug. "Why are you looking at us?"

Mikey sighed and rolled his eyes. "Same reason everyone looks at me whenever the water balloons start to fly."

April caught Donnie's questioning glance. "Don't look at me. She was three she was three sheets to the wind when Medusa and I got there."

Leo frowned down at his student, then turned to Zoe. "What happened?"


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

"He attacked me on the dance floor," Zoe answered, sneering at the man on the ground. "Somebody took him out while he had me out here." 

"But not Raph," Leo nudged his student with his toe. 

"No, Aries found me. Can I kick his ass now?" 

"No," Leo said firmly, but his face softened when he looked up and saw that Zoe was not in a fighting stance. "We need to find out why he did it." 

"Really?" Karai asked. "You figured that out all by yourself?" 

"Not now, Karai," Leo muttered. 

"Are we just gonna wait for him to wake up?" April asked, coming to stand next to Donnie. 

There was a moment of silence as the group looked down at the unconscious ninjitsu student. 

"Oh, this is dumb," Medusa said, darting toward the man on the ground. The three turtles started, as if ready to draw their weapons, but the snake had already wrapped herself around him, picked him up, and was heading down the alley away from the street. "All of you always think that I'm going to eat people," she said, her voice having a hissy edge that indicated her growing annoyance. "When was the last time I ate someone?" 

The group looked at each other, then back at their sister's retreating form. 

"Exactly," she answered. 

"Where are you going?" Leo asked, running up to her, his voice sounding young in his demand as he came back to his senses. 

"To take him in for questioning," Medusa said simply. 

"To the police?" 

"No," she let out a hiss. 

"We can't take him to the dojo," Leo insisted. 

"I'm not taking him to the dojo," she said. "I have someplace better." 

"You ate a dog about four months ago," Mikey called as he helped Denim down the alley. 

"Now's not a good time, Mikey," Donnie said in his ear. 

TOSOTCTOSOTC 

Sean Hennesy was awoken by the worst ache in his crotch he had ever felt. Even worse than that time when he slipped off his bike pedals in the 7th grade. Before his eyes registered anything, his ears picked up someone retching. 

"I gotta fill the water bottle up again, Blue Jeans," he heard someone say. "You just stay here with Karai, OK?" 

The person who was obviously Blue Jeans moaned. 

"Oh look," a grizzly voice brought Sean's attention in front of him. A large brown face, a dog, no a bear, was staring at him. "Sleeping beauty is awake." The mutant stretched his soft muzzle into a wide smile, and it looked to Sean like something out of a video game before a hunter is eaten and the screen flashes 'YOU LOSE'. 

"Where am I?" Sean demanded. 

"What, you don't have eyes in your head?" the bear asked, looking about them. 

Sean followed the bear's cue, and saw he was in a warehouse, only it was clean, and furnished, like someone was living, or had lived, there. 

"Can I kick his ass now?" Zoe came into view, glaring daggers at him. 

"No," Leo appeared at the other side of the bear's face. "He needs to answer some questions."

TSOTC

Zoe huffed, pacing back and forth behind Leo. Now that the jerkwad was awake she wanted to knock him out again. How had he gotten one in on her? She couldn't take her eyes off the asshole, the cat in her unwilling to retract its claws.

"Zoe," Leo whispered, keeping his eyes on dipshit. He sighed. "April, do you mind taking Zoe outside?"

"Like hell!" Zoe argued before April could respond.

"Zoe," Leo repeated.

Then April tried to reel her in, "Zoe, you're totally on the verge of going full cat on this guy and we need-"

Zoe's jaw shifted, the growl in her chest rising up into her throat. Maybe it was cat pride, maybe it was that she hadn't gotten the chance to hurt the guy, maybe it was both, but it was all fixable if Leo would just get out of the way.

Asshat looked around the room, his eyes meeting hers. His brow furrowed. "But _you're_ human, you _look_ human."

Zoe let out a hiss and lunged for him. "I'll show you human!"

Leo was so damn fast, had her in a hold that pinned her to him, her arms near wrapped around herself. He looked down at her, shook his head. "We need answers. This is not helping and if you can't reel it in, you're leaving."

Zoe looked over his shoulder, where dumbass actually considered moving from his spot on the floor. Medusa slithered closer and Arcos gave a slight shake of his head.

"Don't even think about it," the great bear warned.

The human sack-of-shit surveyed the room again, his gaze settling on Denim. "What'd you do to her?"

Karai held Denim's hair in one hand while the girl retched over a trash can. The kunoichi glared at him. "Fuck you. We'll ask the questions."

TSOTC

Denim didn't think she had anything left to throw up as Mikey traded places with Karai, his cool fingers brushing her hair away from her face. She whimpered, exhausted and slumped against him. Was it normal to be this sick? He offered her a refilled water bottle but she shook her head and pushed it away. "I think it's just giving me more to throw up."

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho listened as the serpentine mutant called someone, named Arcos to pick her up at the corner on the other side of the block. She considered following, knowing that the downed man was a problematic loose end. But she couldn't see how to get him away from his captor and did not want to engage her in battle if it could at all be avoided.

The others were returning to a pair of vehicles parked out front. The one she identified as Donatello Hamato took April O'Neil, the drunk woman and the freckled turtle in a car that while appearing normal on the surface had definitely undergone some customization. She doubted that it was street legal.

The remaining turtle and women piled into a junker that she'd guess had been soldered back together from junkyard parts. Between the two options, she chose to follow her targets, although she suspected they would be converging on the same location.

As she watched them, her handler identified the vehicles via satellite. Tailing them would be too risky. Waiting until they took off, she jumped off the rooftop, landing in a crouch as her metal endoskeleton absorbed the impact.

Her bike was parked close by. Slipping on the helmet, she waited for the virtual map to overlay the screen of her visor, indicating the route her targets were taking. She could track them without needing to get close enough to be spotted. Careful not to take a different combination of streets, she worked her way towards what turned out to be an abandoned warehouse. The location was noted in her dossier as she parked a good distance back.

Stalking up to the building, she stacked a few empty crates under one of the open windows, in the hopes of hearing and seeing the situation. Everyone was presented and accounted for, with the addition of a large bear mutant. The moment she caught sight of him, she paused.

 _Headlights in the dark. Coming fast. Heart racing. Warm fur all around. Rolling. Safe._

She shook her head. What was that? It didn't matter. She needed to focus. The man was awake now and could potentially identify her. That was a problem. One without an obvious solution at the moment. The hybrid looked about to kill him. Maybe she should would lose control and do it. One problem neatly solved. No such luck so far though.

She listened closely, trying to pick up threads of the interrogation.

"Fuck you. We'll ask the questions."

Well that was promising. Maybe the guy would actually keep his trap shut. She'd have to wait and see.

TSOTCTSOTC

Battered and bruised, but oddly satisfied, Raph stalked back towards the alley. That had been the best fight in ages and he'd really needed to blow off some steam. He didn't often get to cut loose, but the level of mayhem had given him license not to hold back. What a brawl. It had even caused enough damage that the police had been notified and La Vida Loca was closing early tonight as result. He'd just have to answer a few questions, then he'd be free to deal with his real concern.

Pushing the door open, he glared into the empty alley, his upturn in mood completely evaporating. "Shit!"

He angrily punched Leo's speed dial as he paced the alley. How could everyone just take off without telling him? What the shell? As he stalked back and forth, something glinted on the ground and he stooped to investigate. A fake nail. Blue. Right where Leo's prodigal student had fallen. Hoping that it wasn't some random trash or, even worse, a souvenir from one of Aries's assignations, he picked it up and tucked it into his belt. Maybe Donnie could do some science-creeper magic on it, to find the owner and whether or not she, he really hoped it was a she, had anything to do with tonight's incident.

Leo picked up. "Raph, now isn't the best time."

"Where the fuck is everyone?" He could almost see Leo pulling the phone away from his head.

"We're at the old warehouse to question my 'student' in relative privacy."

He could hear Zoe's rumbling growl in the background and itched to be there with her.

"Raph, I really need to go..." Click.

He stared at the 'call ended' announcement on his phone screen. "Leo? Leo! Dammit!"

The door opened behind him and Aries poked his head through. "Why do you keep disappearing?"

Raph scowled. "Cover for me. I've got to go."

Aries caught him. "Arcos filled me in. At least someone remembers to keep me in the loop."

"Fine. Come along then." He tried to leave, but Aries stopped him again.

"You still need to give your statement to the police. Get your shell back inside. Then we will go."

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Raph followed Aries back inside.

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey frowned as Denim turned away from the offered water bottle.

"I think it's just giving me more to throw up."

Releasing a low whine, he looked up imploringly at Donnie and April who watched in concern.

Donnie crouched beside him. "Dehydration is really the biggest problem in causing hangovers. Although given how sick she is, so soon after drinking, I'm more inclined to blame alcohol poisoning."

Mikey gasped. "She's been poisoned?"

Donnie groaned and rubbed his temples. "No, it's...why don't you just take her to the hospital? An IV would probably do her some good and maybe they can give her some anti-nausea meds. We can handle things here."

He started to nod as Denim struggled to right herself. "No. ER...expensive...can't afford..."

Donnie placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll help out. That's what family is for. Go."

Mikey sighed in relief as he felt Denim relax against him in acquiescence. Whether it was from actual agreement or being too sick to argue, he didn't know, but he wanted her better. Now.

Donnie reluctantly held out his keys. "Drive carefully and don't rush. Jostling her will probably be worse than taking too long getting there."

Mikey managed a strained smile as he accepted the keys. "Thanks, D."

TSOTCTSOTC

Sean tried to lean back as Arcos, that's what they'd called the big bear, made a show of smelling him. "Get away from me," Sean grimaced. 

Arcos shook his head. "No," he replied. 

Leo pulled up an old chrome legged chair and sat down in it across from the, now, only human in the room. "Jeff," he said to his student. "What's going on?" 

"His name isn't Jeff," Karai spat from across the room. 

Leo pointedly ignored her. "Whatever your name is," Leo amended. "What's going on?" 

Sean glared at him. "I'm not telling you anything." 

"I've been your sensei for how long now? Two years?" Leo asked. 

"Two and a half," Karai informed him. 

"Two and half years," Leo continued. "Why did you attack Zoe?" 

"I didn't attack her," he said. 

Arcos growled, his calm demeanor gone. He stood up, towering over the little man. "You were saving her," he said in a disgusted voice. 

"Saving me from what?" Zoe made toward him again. 

Leo held up his hand, praying that Zoe would stop moving. She did, and he hid his sigh of relief. This was already crazy, he didn't need it to get any crazier. 

"Where is he?" Raph asked, his stocky frame emerging from the dim light of the stairwell. 

"Where's Aries?" Medusa asked. 

"He's downstairs talking to Mikey and Denim," Raph replied, his eyes on Sean. "Listen you sack of shit-" 

"Enough!" Leo yelled. He turned back to Sean, his dark blue eyes clouded with impatience. "I'm getting tired of all of this. Jeff, whatever your name is, what the shell is going on?" 

"He was trying save Zoe from her mutant lover," Arcos said, his voice tinged with bitterness.

"He was trying what?" Raph was at him now, scowling.

"She looked human," Arcos growled. "Right, Jeff?" 

"His name's not Jeff," Karai was now at Leo's side. 

Sean's eyes went wide, and Leo did not have to look at his mate to know that she was partially transformed into a snake. 

"What's your name?" Raph demanded. 

"Fuck you!" Sean spat. 

"I'll fuck you up, alright!" Zoe pounced at him, but Raph held her. His arms were tight at first, but when he felt that she wasn't struggling much, he softened his grip. 

"Swearing at people isn't going to get them to talk," Donnie interjected from the background. 

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Medusa swept in, so quick, again, that she was only a blur. The movement set Karai off, she completed her transformation into a serpent, but not before the boa had Sean in her coils and had begun to tighten them. "What is this all about, Cupcake?" Her head hovered above his threateningly as Karai hissed. 

Sean's face began to turn red. 

"He can't answer if he can't breathe, Medusa," April said.

TSOTCTSOTC

"You still feeling bad?" Aries asked Denim as Mikey led her to the car.

Denim moaned, burying her face in Mikey's shirt.

"D' wants me to take her to the hospital. So that's where we're headed," Mikey answered.

"Keep us posted. Hope you feel better, Denim," Aries said.

Mikey opened the passenger door, guiding her inside. He buckled her seat belt and she curled into a ball around it. Surely she'd thrown up every bit of alcohol she'd had, her last two retching's had produced nothing more than the water she'd drank. She shivered and tugged on the hem of the dress, sure that her thong was on display.

They were on the road a few minutes before he said anything. He kept glancing at her then the road. "M'sorry you're so sick, Blue Jeans, especially since you look so hot in that dress."

She heard a rustling sound then a coat was placed over her goosebump covered body. "Don't feel hot," she mumbled, "I'm freezinnn, and nauseous, and I wan' go home."

Her stomach rolled and her heart began pounding hard. Oh no…

"You're beautiful even when you're sick. But can you maybe wear it again sometime? Ya know, when you're not uh-"

Denim unbuckled her seat belt and sat up, looking frantically for a place to throw up. "Mikey-"

His eyes shifted from where her butt would've been sticking out, up to her face. "Are you gonna get sick again?"

He stopped the car and she jumped out, staggering onto the sidewalk. She just made it to the darkness of an alley where she dropped to her knees and lost it. Again.

TSOTCTSOTC

"Medusa," Leo tried to keep a calm tone to his voice, "let him breathe."

Medusa exhaled, her body relaxing but she didn't unwind, seemed ready to flex if needed. Leo cleared his throat, a smirk forming on the corners of his mouth. "You're not going anywhere, so let's talk." He motioned to Medusa but kept his eyes on his rogue student, "We can do this the easy way, or my sister can flex her muscles and-" he shrugged.

Medusa squeezed and Sean's face began to resemble a beet. Leo waved at her again and she released.

His student coughed, the color draining from his face.

"Name?" Leo asked again.

"Dead meat, that's his name." Raph grumbled still holding Zoe.

Arcos sniffed the guy again then snorted. Jeff or _not_ Jeff's hair blew back. The man blinked but said nothing.

"Sssssshe can pop your head clean off your shoulderssssss," Karai hissed.

"Name," Leo repeated.

Medusa slowly began to tighten around the man again when he gasped, "Don't! My name's Sean."

Leo sat up straight. "Why'd you attack my sister?"

"Or try to _save_ her," Arcos growled.

Sean huffed. "Sister?" He looked at Zoe, who was making a noise that Leo was sure she wasn't aware of. She was often oblivious to her cat traits until one of them reminded her. Sean's lip curled. "I _thought_ she was human. I don't know what she is now, making all that damn noise."

Zoe hissed and jerked in Raph's arms.

Sean laughed and Medusa squeezed him, cutting off the sound.

"What'd I miss?" Aries appeared in Leo's peripheral.

This wasn't an ideal interrogation situation, too many variables. "Medusa," Leo said.

She relaxed her body again.

Sean gasped, his coughing fit lasting longer.

"If you've got a problem with my family," Leo began, "what have you been doing at our dojo for the past two and half years?"

TSOTC

April watched the interrogation progress as her family struggled to unite contradictory information gathering techniques. At least they had his name now, not that Sean was much more helpful than Jeff. But she'd seen Donnie work wonders with less to go on.

They'd transitioned off of subtle and not so subtle threats of violence back to Leo's mask of earnest questioning, though she could feel the fury boiling just beneath his iron clad control. Teachers of martial arts did not lightly entrust the art. Leo was reeling both from the betrayal as well as his inability to detect the duplicity before now.

"If you have a problem with my family, what have you been doing at our dojo for the past two and a half years?"

Sean sneered. "Bite me."

Karai slithered up, mere inches from his face, fangs extended and dripping.

"Thhhaaat caaan be arraaaanged. Though you miiiight not liiiiike the taaaassssste of my veeenooom." Her hiss made her words longer and more threatening.

Sean swallowed hard, clearly wishing he'd chosen a different taunt. His eyes flicked back and forth between Leo and Karai, before he threw an answer out. "To save them. The girls. We thought they were human. Didn't belong with you. Should have been sticking to their proper kind. Didn't know they were freaks too."

He grunted out the last word as Medusa tightened her coils. Zoe hissed and pulled against Raph's grip. Though he held her tight, he emitted his own low growl. Arcos snorted in derision while Donnie sighed and Aries rolled his eyes, clearly not seeing how a woman of any kind could not be meant for him. Karai lunged, but Leo caught and held her. Sean's distraction had worked perfectly. Almost.

April sauntered up and peered down at him, signaling Medusa to loosen ever so slightly. "No. That was a personal indulgence. What's the real reason you joined?"

She pressed into his mind as she asked, grasping at whatever drifted to the surface first, a violation she rarely attempted and viewed with distaste. But they had to know. "Mission. Spy. Study our fighting style. Counter it. Use it against us." She released with a breath.

His eyes narrowed at her. "What are you?"

No one answered him.

Leo looked at him with undisguised hostility now. "Who? Who are you spying for?"

Sean clamped his mouth shut. Leo glanced at April, but she shook her head. He'd been on his guard this time and she was spent from her initial intrusion. Leo's features formed into a hard line of determination as this quickly upgraded to an organized attack against his family.

He released Karai. "The slow venom."

Sean's eyes shot wide as the snake heads where her hands should be clamped down on his forearms.

Immediately, a sheen of sweat broke out across his brow. His skin picked up a green tint, and he grunt in pain. Leo leaned in threateningly. "It's a bad way to go. Only we have the anti-venom. Who sent you?"

Sean cracked. "Americans for Humanity. Please. The cure."


	13. Chapter 12

Donnie helped April to a seat, seeing her put her hand to her head and close her blue eyes. He waited with baited breath for Arcos to roar, or knock the man across the room, or at the very least growl. But his stomach sank as he lowered his mate to her chair, and no sound at all came from his brother. _That doesn't bode well._ He went for his briefcase.

"Why?" Leo asked quietly. "What does the AFH want to spy on us? What have we ever done to them?"

"The cure," Sean whined; sweat beginning to bead down his temples.

"We have quite a long time before we need to administer that," Donnie called from April's seat.

"You might want to start talkin'," Raph told Sean.

"We just want our lives back," Sean said. "You've taken our jobs, you take our women." He looked at April, then Zoe, swallowing hard.

"We don't take anything from you," Arcos growled. "We take nothing, and all you give us is grief."

"Easy, Big Fella," Leo said to him. He turned back to Sean. "Why does the AFH want to know our fighting style? It's a political group."

Sean grunt in pain, the venom coursing through his veins burning like acid. The great serpent beast still held him in her coils, and the one that bit him hovered near.

He stared at the turtle he'd called sensei for the past few years. The corners of Sean's mouth curving up a bit despite his suffering. "Keep your enemy closer," he murmured.

The constrictor squeezed and Sean airway was cut off. Spots formed before his eyes, and his face was ready to explode.

Leonardo merely looked at the serpent and she relaxed her body.

Sean gasped and choked. "If we learn your techniques we can take you out, should you become a threat. Just like I neutralized your little cat woman there." He motioned his head toward Zoe and she sprang at him.

"Shit, Leo, stop her!"

TSOTCTSOTC

Michelangelo didn't know what to do. Denim had practically jumped out of the car before he'd stopped it, and as he'd pulled up to the curb the engine had sputtered and died. Damn it. Not now!

It would have to wait. He'd call an ambulance, or one of his brothers. He sprint toward Denim. "Blue Jeans, you alright?"

But when he reached her she wasn't conscious.

He checked her pulse. Breathing. Good. That's good. With shaking hands he pulled his phone, and speed dialed Donnie.

"Donnie, you've got to come." He began in a rush. "The car died, and something's wrong with Denim. We didn't make it two blocks before she jumped out, was sick, and now she's not answering me. I'm scared, D."

Donatello hadn't got a word out before Mikey realized what part of the neighborhood he was in. Movement in the back of the alley didn't set well with him. Four men emerging, several more he couldn't count behind them.

Mikey looked at an unconscious Denim. He wasn't letting anything happen to her. "D, hurry, we've got company."

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo knew it was going to happen the moment the words left Sean's mouth, but even with the warning, Zoe was damn fast.

"Shit, Leo stop her!"

Both he and Karai surged forward as Zoe attacked, catching her around the middle, while Medusa tried yanking Sean up and out of her reach, a partially successful endeavor. Zoe didn't get Sean. The force of Zoe's lunge was such that she dragged Karai and Leo along with her, landing a powerful strike, not on Sean's neck, but instead into Medusa's coils.

Medusa's armored skin protected her to an extent, but it was clear to Leo that the blow still hurt as she shuddered and dropped Sean who, now blindly terrified at what he'd unleashed, was making for the door.

Zoe tore free of him and Karai to follow, but Medusa caught her up, shaking her like a rattle as Raph struggled to pull her free.

"She's cool now. Let go already!"

Well that had spiraled out of control quickly. Leo doubted Sean would get too far in his condition, especially when the panic died down and he realized that he still needed the anti-venom. But he didn't like leaving anything to chance.

He glanced up at Arcos, who'd simply watched the whole debacle. "Get him."

With a growl, Arcos strode for the door and Leo realized that he'd probably made the worst possible choice, given Sean's affiliation to the AHF. But it was too late now as Arcos was practically out the door. He'd just have to trust his brother to put their family ahead of his personal grievances.

He hadn't even made it back to his feet, when Don started yelling at his phone. "Mikey! Mikey! Answer dammit!" He looked up from the device to catch Leo's gaze with panicked eyes. "Mikey and Denim are in trouble."

It never rained it poured. "Donnie...Aries...Karai. Go."

Karai and Aries were already out the door. Donnie spared a glance at April who tiredly waved him on.

"Enough already!" Raph's voice pulled him back to the other problem at hand.

Leo gave Medusa a look and with one final indignant shake, she dropped Zoe.

Raph rushed to the side of his dazed, but no longer enraged mate, glaring up at his sister. Medusa shrugged. "It worked, didn't it?"

Leo rubbed his temples and sighed. This was going to be a long night.

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho watched the scene unfold. The human was escaping with only the bear; someone had called him Arcos, following. The group appeared to be splitting, leaving behind both her targets, in a somewhat compromised state. It was as though the opportunity had been gift-wrapped for her.

Slipping away from the window, she flattened herself against the wall, hearing the uneven gait of the fleeing man grow ever closer. As her rounded the corner, she thrust her hand out, a metal spike jutting out from the parting pseudo-flesh of her palm. He looked confused for a moment, as though wondering how her palm on his chest, could result in a metal spear through his heart. Then the light faded from his eyes and he fell back, sliding off her blade. One loose end tied up. She retracted, her weapon, the fake skin closing fluidly over the exit point.

She could hear Arcos's lumbering approach and knew what she should do. He was just one opponent. Big and strong, but she still had the element of surprise. In these circumstances, she could take him. He was all that stood between her and her best chance to acquire April O'Neil and maybe even the rogue hybrid. All she had to do was kill him.

 _Warm. Safe._

Cursing internally, she fled the scene back to her bike. She'd just wait for another chance. They would likely all reconvene after this. Her best guess was at the dojo or the residence of their leader. Leonardo Hamato, if her files weren't mistaken. The Hamato dojo was in view of street cameras. The apartment wasn't. She'd stake out the apartment.

Straddling the vehicle, she spoke, knowing her handler would hear through her own ears. "Get me eyes on the Hamato dojo. I want to know if anyone comes or goes from there."

TSOTCTSOTC

Arcos rounded the corner and almost tripped over Sean's body. Not that the bastard didn't deserve it, but shit. Leo was going to have a fit. He bent over and examined the man. A stab wound. To the chest. Not Karai's venom. Or an accident. Someone had murdered him. But who?

He sniffed the air, parsing out the competing aromas. One scent was unique, completely unfamiliar to him. He had no idea what it was. Curious, he followed the trail until it ended on the street not far away. Motor oil. Gas. Leather. Rubber skid marks on the road from a single line of tires. Motorcycle. There was no way to follow now. All that remained, was to drag Sean back inside and figure out what to do with him.

TSOTCTSOTC

"Well, well, well," the familiar suave voice of Hun rolled over Mikey's shell. "What do you we have here? A pizza delivery boy?"

"Oh, it's just you," Mikey answered dismissively. "I thought you still had another six months in jail."

Hun shrugged, Sid, Fong, and Tsoi taking up a triangle position behind him. "Got out early for good behavior," he said.

Fong chuckled.

"Why's that funny?" Mikey asked, still crouched at Denim's side.

"Because we ain't gonna be good to you," Sid replied.

TSOTCTSOTC

Arcos threw Sean's carcass on the floor. "Found him," he said with no feeling.

"You killed him?!" Leo exclaimed, seeing the stain on Sean's chest.

Arcos snuffed. "No such luck. He was already done in when I got him."

"How's that possible?" Medusa asked. "He was only gone for a few seconds."

"A few seconds is all it takes fer someone t' commit murder," Raph said.

The four of them looked at the scowling turtle, surprised eyed, before Leo sighed. "I guess one of his AFH buddies must have followed him here in case he cracked."

"That's a bum deal," Arcos growled. "You get killed instead of helped."

"There were too many of us," Zoe muttered.

"There was only one of them," Arcos commented. "But they're long gone now. They're fast, whoever they are."

"I thought that the AFH was only a political group," Leo turned to the bear, as if he would have information that the leader of their group didn't.

Arcos shrugged, "Guess not." With that, he turned to the stairs. "I'm going home."

"Stay with us," Medusa said. But her brother didn't answer as he disappeared down the stairs.

Raph's gaze shifted to Leo. "We can come back and deal with the body, but if this guys dead, we should probably go check on Mikey."

All eyes fell on their leader.

Leo frowned at the body of his student then looked at Medusa. "Feel like a snack?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Despite his bravado, Mikey was freaking out. Denim was lying unmoving at his feet and he was alone, facing off with four opponents, one of whom was admittedly formidable. Normally his strength lay in his agility and unpredictability, taunting enemies into mistakes. None of which was an option while defending Denim in her current state. As his mouth ran on autopilot, he frantically searched for a solution.

What would Leo do?

 _Utilize allies._ Well that wasn't happening without him buying some serious time.

 _Keep them at a distance. Use your environment._

Converting his nunchaku into kusari-gama, he caught sight of a line of flower pots set along a little table on the third story fire escape. A plan came together in his mind. _Thank you Leo._

Hun crossed his arms and smirked as his three lieutenants advanced. Mikey's curved blade shot out towards Sid, flinched until he realized it had sailed right past him. Laughing he, prepared to attack, in sync with his comrades.

The blade hooked the row of pots, crashing them down on Sid's head, as Mikey whipped the blade back, putting a nice handle shaped dent in Tsoi's forehead. His foot kicked out as he called the chain back with a yank, ramming his heel into Fong's solar plexus when the Dragon thought to jump him from behind.

Spinning for momentum, Mikey loosed his weapon at Hun, who caught the blade between his thumb and index finger in a single efficient motion, barely reacting to the attack at all. Mikey knew what was coming next. He'd spent enough of his youth being turned into a projectile against his brothers that it was one lesson he'd never forget.

Hun's other hand closed on the kusari-gama handle, twisting and whipping the chain back. But Mikey released the weapon before he could be dragged away from Denim. Though it cost him one of his weapons, it was worth it, creating the opportunity he needed.

While he'd been attacking his other hand had been rummaging his belt for a smoke bomb and now as Hun recovered from his failed attempt at dragging Mikey, Mikey threw it to the ground, the metal ball cracking open on impact and releasing a cloud of purple smoke.

As he scooped up Denim and darted back towards the car, he considered how he kind of missed the old bombs. They always had more character and style. But Donnie said that if he ever emptied and dried another egg again it would be too soon. Mikey could respect that. He'd never have the patience for such a tedious process. Although he certainly did enjoy squandering his brother's hard work.

Mikey was almost to the car, when the door slammed shut in front of him and, in the clearing smoke, he barely made out Hun's outline atop the vehicle, just in time to duck the series of rapid fire kicks that were coming his way. Unable to counter with Denim in his arms, he rolled back, seeking out another escape route. All he saw were Sid, Tsoi and Fong climbing to their feet. Aww sewer apples.

As he considered his options, Mikey came to an unpleasant realization. He couldn't get him and Denim out of this while maintaining his ideals. Their only chance lay in playing for keeps. If he didn't start breaking out some lethal moves, they were screwed. Though the thought of killing anyone, even Purple Dragons, made his stomach turn, he realized that given a choice between Denim's life and keeping his hands clean, he'd choose Denim. He'd always known he was willing to die for her. Now he knew that he'd kill for her as well.

With one hand sliding into his belt to retrieve a cluster of shuriken, he eyed his encroaching opponents, identifying possible kill shots with his projectiles.

Then two white snake hands stretched out of the dark alley, encircling Tsoi and Sid, slamming them together before flinging them into opposite walls. He could make out Karai's outline in the shadow.

Aries rushed in from the sidewalk, sending Fong tumbling down the street with a brutal head butt. _Ooh that had to hurt._

Donnie dropped down from above, making to bring his staff down on Hun, who rapidly turned to catch it.

Despite all his attempts at designing a new and improved weapon, Donnie always came back to the wooden stick. Sort of.

Hun ripped the staff out of Donnie's hands and made to break it over his knee, howling in pain as he only managed to smash some wood off of its steel core. Not only did the reinforcement prevent D from having to replace his staff after every freaking battle. It also provided a good base for all his 'additions.'

Taking advantage of Hun's painfully self-inflicted distraction, Donnie grabbed the staff like a bar and rammed it into Hun's forehead, staggering him back and almost off the roof of the car. Then Donnie pulled back and twisted the staff into position before activating one of his many triggers, unleashing a puff of blinding powder into Hun's face. Swiss army bo staff always made for some of Mikey's favorite fights.

As Hun clawed at his eyes, Donnie swept his legs and caught him with a spinning kick as he feel, launching him straight into Aries fist, from which he ricocheted into Karai's coils before being slammed head first into the pavement.

Karai smiled down at his unmoving body. "I don't know about you guys, but I needed that." Even in snake form she could smirk.

As Mikey looked back and forth between his sister and brothers, he almost cried with relief, letting the shuriken fall back into his pouch. Hiding the well of emotion behind a grin, he forced out a chuckle. "Thanks for the assist."

Aries snorted. "I think you mean the save."

Mikey started a bit when Don patted his shell. Looking into his brother's eyes, he knew that Don had seen past his mask of humor. Donnie had always been one to notice details. Perceptive. But D didn't call him out on it. He just gave him an encouraging smile. "Come on. Let's get her to the hospital."

TSOTCTSOTC

April answered her phone, a smiling photo of her mate, with the words "Donny boy" above his head, flashing on the screen. "Please tell me all is well," she answered it.

Glancing behind her, she saw Medusa following to catch up with them, sans Sean. The snake had given Leo a nasty look at the suggestion of a snack, but she'd told the rest of them to start ahead of her, and she'd take care of the body. She didn't have the tell tale bulge of her having eaten something large, but April had no doubt that Medusa knew of some way to make sure Sean was properly disposed of. Then again, Medusa was large enough that a mere human might not leave that much of a bulge.

"I will," she said into the phone. "OK."

Hanging up, she waited a moment for the boa to catch up before saying, "Donnie said that Mikey and Denim had a run in with The Purple Dragons. The others took care of it, and they're getting Denim to the hospital, she's unconscious. We're to head home."

"I guess we could all use some sleep," Leo shook his head. "This isn't how I wanted to spend my evening."

Raph flashed him a rare, compassionate look. Playing daddy to his nephew and baby brother was something that he knew brought Leo great pleasure. Adding a little girl to the mix, he must have been truly enjoying his night before being called out to the club. "Your morning will be even better, with all the little ones staying up late."

Leo gave him a small smile.

Medusa slithered up to April, who had put her hand to her head once more. "You want me to carry you back home?" she asked. "You don't look good. I can stay at your apartment until Donnie gets back."

April shook her head. "I think we should all go back to Leo's place," she replied.

"One of your feelings?" Zoe asked.

"Yeah," she answered.

Leo sighed. "The neighbors are gonna love us tonight."

"We do know how to be quiet, you know," Raph said.

"I promise to wake all the neighbors up for you," Zoe muttered.

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey's phone was ringing as he slid Denim in the front seat and snapped her seat belt. She let out a pathetic moan that he found somewhat reassuring. "Hey, D, you mind answering that it might be Mom calling about Alli or somethin'."

"Sure," Donnie agreed, taking the phone. "Oh, it is her," he said swiping his finger over the screen. "Hi Mom, is everything okay?"

Aries and Karai came alongside Donnie as he held open the back car door, while talking to Phoenix.

"I'm going back to the warehouse for my clothessss," Karai hissed.

"Do you guys need me to come with?" Aries offered to Mikey. "If not I'll walk Karai back to the warehouse then make sure she gets home."

"I don't, ssss, need an esssscort," she complained.

Both Aries and Mikey exchanged knowing glances then Aries seamlessly responded to her. "Of course you don't. Tonight has gone as smooth as a one night stand."

Karai snorted, something Mikey wasn't sure how she managed in her snake form. He offered his ram brother a genuine smile. "You can help D get the car running. After that we should be good." Then he glanced at Karai. "It'd be nice if you hung out until then, you know just in case, maybe keep lookout?"

Mikey swore if a snake-girl could roll her eyes Karai just had, but she didn't leave. Good. Leo would kill him if he let her go off by herself after the night they'd had.

"I've got this," Aries agreed, crossing to the driver's side and popping the hood.

Donnie hung up, handed Mikey his phone back then stepped alongside Aries. "What'd Mom say?" Mikey asked over his shoulder, opening the passenger door to check on Denim.

"She called to check in on us," Donnie began, "But she was asking really bizarre questions." 

"Like what?" Karai and Mikey asked at the same time.

Before Donnie could answer Aries stood and called to Mikey. "Try it now."

Michelangelo had intended to check Denim's pulse for the hundredth time when Aries made his announcement so he clambered over her to the driver's seat. When he turned the key the engine fired right up.

The ram shut the hood. "You're good to go here."

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe was exhausted. The night had started so well and plummeted fast. She was furious with herself for letting her guard down when engaging with a strange human. She expected him to be weak, and that caused her to fail. She was disgusted that everything had spiraled so far out of control as to call her brother away from his rare evening off. And she knew that even if Sean was dead Leo would demand that she and Karai comb through every student in the dojo to identify any other possible threats. In some way maybe it was good that she'd run into the asshat, or who knows how much longer it would be before they realized a threat was among them?

As they approached the entrance to the tenement Leo stopped, blocking the way. "Shhhh, Mom said the kids are sleeping. Be quiet, we don't want to wake them."

His family let out a unified sigh.

How many times was he going to tell them this? Raph, Medusa and she were not stray minded individuals. The three of them didn't need to be told the obvious, and Mikey wasn't with them to trip over anything. No. This wasn't necessary.

"Leo, we've been parents for five years." Zoe pointed to the door behind him. "Can we just go inside now?"

Their leader said nothing, opening the main entrance to the foyer. They filed in and headed for the steps.

Zoe hated failure of any sort, she held on to it, needed to work it out in the dojo. Raph knew this, understood her well. So it didn't surprise her when he came up alongside her, took her hand in his and whispered. "Dojo first thing."

She didn't argue, only gave him a curt nod.

Leo stood on the landing, but when he reached for the knob the door whipped wide open. Antonello bolted by him barreling toward her and Raph with wide green eyes, a horrible frown on his face.

"Mom! I had a for real bad dream," he cried, near knocking her over.

Raph put a hand in her back to keep her from falling backward down the stairs. She gathered Anton in her arms, opening her heart to his emotions, letting her power wash over her. His energy jolted through her, his heart racing, the current of his emotions overwhelming. She gasped, desperate to comfort him, to take away his torment, and clutched him tighter. She couldn't see what he had, but felt it, and knew her baby boy had a tough enough veneer that he seldom let his fear show in such a public display.

"Shush now. I've got you, baby. You're okay." Zoe squeezed Anton and realized he was gripping Franklin in his fist. Yes, he took Franklin with him to Grand'mere's but seldom got him out of his travel bag. This wasn't good.

She and Raph exchanged glances. "Want me to carry him?" he asked, a frown etched on his face.

"No," Zoe refused, carrying him up the steps and into the living room. "We'll just step out on the balcony a minute and talk about it. The fresh air and a cuddle will do him good."

TSOTCTSOTC

When Donnie pulled up in front of the ER, Mikey had Denim unbuckled and out of the car in record time, rushing through the doors with her in his arms as Don went off to park. He looked around wildly for help, understanding, on some level, that this was where people went to seek medical care. As he'd never actually been in one before, relying on Don, his father's, and eventually his mother's medical expertise to handle anything that came their way, he had no idea what to do. For most of his life he'd never been able to enter such a public place and when he eventually was, there would be too many problematic questions accompanying his injuries to risk it.

A bored looking woman at a desk, pasted on a tired smile and waved him over.

Grateful, he rushed towards her. "Thank you. She needs..."

"Photo ID and insurance, please?" She asked as she pushed a stack of paperwork towards him.

He stared blankly at the woman. "What?"

Her smiled slipped. "I need her photo ID and her insurance card."

She didn't have any of that on her. Where would she put it? He was on the verge of having a Raph moment. "She's unconscious. Help her _now_." He ground the words out, trying to keep his voice as even as possible. Spazzing out right now would not improve their situation.

Then Don was beside him, collecting the paperwork. "I can handle her information if you could please take them now."

How his brother could sound so civil at the moment, he didn't know.

The lady at the desk managed another forced smile as she turned her attention to Donnie while an orderly rolled a gurney over. He gently laid Denim down and followed the silent man through the crowded waiting room to an area labeled 'triage.' There a pleasant young woman, in a colorful floral shirt, started checking Denim over, peppering him with questions as she jotted notes into a laptop.

Mikey fiddled with the barcode bracelet that some anonymous member of the hospital staff and come in and affixed while he'd been struggling to provide the requisite information. Why hadn't he thought to bring one of the girls here too? They were actually with Denim when all this went down. It hadn't even occurred to him to press for details before, and now he was worried that something he missed at this critical juncture would make the difference in their ability to save her.

"Drugs?"

He blinked. That question broke through the mental fog. "What?"

"Is she under the influence of any drugs besides the alcohol you've already mentioned?"

"No way. Not Denim. She's super responibs."

The nurse stared.

"Uh, I meant, she's responsible."

The nurse frowned. "You said she was at a night club. Could she have been drugged without being aware of it?"

The expression on his face must have been answer enough. The nurse turned to type some more as the words sunk in. Could someone have done this to her? To his Blue Jeans? What had his sisters been doing? They were supposed to keep Denim safe. Feeling a surge of rare anger, he knew what he'd be doing with Don after he was sure she was ok. They'd find whoever did this to her no matter what. Could it have been the jerk that attacked Zoe?

"We're going to take her straight in." The nurse chirped cheerfully.

He managed something of a real smile, that he was pretty sure was way below his usual wattage. They'd help her. She'd be ok.

A woman in scrubs entered and glared at him. "What is that doing here?"

Mikey stiffened as he realized that she was talking about him.

The nurse wrung her hands nervously. "Well he's her family, I think, so..."

Scrubs eyes hardened. "Not legally. Get him out of here. We need to keep this environment sanitary. We shouldn't even let them in the waiting room."

The nurse's mouth hung open in a fish impersonation as she struggled for a way to put a positive spin on that, but Scrubs ignored her, turning to Mikey. "Get out."

Mikey remained in his seat, trembling with the effort of holding himself back, knowing that he wanted to at least be able to stay in the waiting area.

Scrubs smiled smugly in victory as she pulled Denim's gurney out of triage.

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho crouched on the roof of the neighboring apartment building, positioning some kind of utility shed to her back, to prevent there being any outline of her against the sky. She'd retrieved a pair of binoculars and parabolic microphone with headphones from one of her bike's many storage compartments, watching and waiting, not knowing when or if her targets might show.

Fortunately for her, the stake out was not excessively long. The clunker parked just out front of the apartment building and she watched the hybrid and two turtles step out of the car. From around the corner, the snake mutant slithered up to them.

Sword turtle, Leonardo Hamato if her records were accurate, addressed her. "Drop April off ok?"

Well, shit.

The snake nodded. "She's sleeping it off at home."

So April was locked up in that apartment, that the smart one, Donatello, had turned into a veritable fortress. Her preliminary investigation had demonstrated that he had an obsession with security that could rival the EDF's. Fan-fucking-tastic. She was untouchable for the moment. What the hell was with all these overprotective allies? All her other Kraang-legacy targets had been isolated and borderline insane. She'd never had so much trouble with a job before.

She lost sight of them as they entered the apartment building and refocused her attention on the apartment. It looked like the bear wasn't with them anymore. She wasn't sure whether or not to be disappointed or relieved.

Annoyed with herself, she shook the thoughts aside. What was wrong with her? Stay on task. Finish the job. She still might be able to take the hybrid tonight.

The curtain blocking her view twitched out of the way, allowing her to catch sight of the hybrid, stepping out onto the balcony.

"Mom..." The quiet little voice echoed through her headphones.

"It's okay, sweetie. Momma's here."

No. No. No. No.

The hybrid stroked the shell of a little turtle, holding him close as she settled into one of the plastic chairs on the balcony, humming a simple but soothing tune.

Sappho peered through her binoculars. The mutant child was a miniature version of the turtle bouncer, the rogue had kissed earlier in the night. Oh no.

 _Mutant-hybrid offspring identified. Tagged for retrieval. Secondary strike team engaged. Prepare a report and refocus on the Kraang-legacy mission._ The words tickered across the top of her vision and her hands shook as she lowered the binoculars and microphone. What had she done?

 _It's none of your business. Focus on the mission. It has nothing to do with you. Get the job done._

For once the mantra did nothing to ease the hollow feeling in her chest.


	14. Chapter 13

TSOTCTSOTC

Michelangelo commanded himself not to be baited by Scrubs, remaining in his chair trying to decide what to do next. Fortunately, the other, more helpful nurse stuck her head in the empty triage room. "Come on, I'll take you back. Since you brought her in, you're all the information we have on Miss Sanders. And Janet can't legally forbid you to be _with_ her, you just can't make any decisions _for_ her." She offered him a sympathetic smile and he followed her anxiously.

His nerves tempted him to ramble and crack jokes, but with 'Janet' lurking somewhere in the wing he couldn't risk drawing attention to himself. He didn't want to end up booted.

The nurse slid back a glass door to a tiny room, where Denim lay inside, tiny, unusually pale and appearing even more breakable than usual. There was stuff connected to her, he recognized the IV, Donnie had used one on him once. But he didn't know about the clip attached to her finger, or the black fabric wrapped around her arm.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

The nurse frowned. "I can't tell you anything. All I can do is let you sit with her."

Great. So he was good for _giving_ information but not _getting_ any. He gave the nurse a curt nod, before slumping into a chair beside Denim and taking her hand in his.

The nurse hovered near the door, stopping before sliding it open. She glanced over her shoulder in his direction. "I shouldn't even tell you this much, but I don't think it's fair how Janet treated you. Your friend should be fine."

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe sat on the balcony holding Anton, stroking the back of his head and the ridge of his carapace. "Antonello, you're shaking. Are you cold?"

"No. It was real, Mom. My dream was real." He shivered and she slid her hand down his arm, rubbing it. Tiny goosebumps adorned his usually smooth emerald skin.

Zoe sighed, twisting in her chair to open the sliding door. "Raph?" she whispered, not wanting to wake anyone but knowing he'd be close.

"Yeah?" he answered, from inside the door. "Everything okay out there?"

Was Anton okay? He wasn't in any immediate danger. But her sweet turtle boy was trembling in her arms. He was terrified of something. "I don't know, yes and no? Can you grab him a blanket?"

Raph grunted his reply, and a few seconds later the well worn but adored red blanket that had been with them for so long was placed in her hand. Her fingers brushed his in the exchange, sending a thrill through her. "Thanks, Big Guy."

Raph said nothing, but lingered near the door and she didn't close it.

Her mouth curved upward as she draped the thin, soft fabric around their son. She held her mouth close to the side of Anton's head, speaking to him in a low, gentle voice, "Anton, do you want Daddy to come out with us?"

"Mhm," he mumbled his approval. "He'll keep you safe," he added, hopefully.

Raph took up the chair beside them, leaning close. "Wanna tell us about tha' bad dream? Or didya already tell ya Mom an' I missed that part?"

Anton shook his head. "Nah, I din' tell her yet. I just wanted her cas' they're gonna take her away." He wrapped his little arms around Zoe's neck, squeezing her tight. "An, I don' want'em to take her."

Zoe's heart sputtered, a mix of fear from her and frustration from Raph igniting the air surrounding them.

"It was just a dream, Antonello. Ain't nobody takin' yer Mom anywhere, ever." Raph spoke with such ferocity it would seem he was frustrated by the fact that he couldn't fight his sons nightmare.

Anton didn't answer, instead buried his head in Zoe's neck, gripping onto her like she might evaporate. She found herself struggling with her power, it wanted to bust loose, but not in the way Anton needed, not with comfort… but with panic. Instinctively, her eyes roved the building surrounding them, rooftops, sidewalks, windows… But she found nothing. Still she couldn't shake the sudden urge to get her family back inside.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim groaned and stretched. Gradually her body was coming to life but it felt like all the moisture had been drained from her. Her skin might even be rubbing on muscle, and her stomach felt like it was puckering. "Mmpf," she grunted.

"Oh, good, you're awake! I'll tell the nurse!" Michelangelo leapt from his seat, and darted from the room before she could point to the nurses call button on her bed.

She'd woken up in hospitals enough times to know the scent before she'd even opened her eyes. Getting used to Mikey's outdoor voice, indoors, in a quiet situation on the other hand, still hurt her ears. He returned quickly announcing that they'd sent for the doctor. The nurse followed him in, checked her vitals and left as fast as Mikey had when she'd stirred.

"You okay, Blue Jeans? They wouldn't tell me anything because I'm me, but one nurse was nice enough to let me know that you weren't gonna check out on me." He let out a nervous laugh. "He-he, it kinda sucked there for a while."

Denim rubbed her face, accidentally tugging on her IV. She winced and he cringed.

"Yeah, you're all kinds a hooked up to stuff. So just, uh, chill until the doc gets here. You feeling better at all?" He began to fidget with the buttons on the bed, moving it high then low, then the back up and down. "Is this better? Higher or lower?"

Denim sighed. "Mikey, I'm sober, but hungover, and I'm still nauseous. Do you mind not playing with that? Can you maybe play with the TV instead?"

He plopped down in a chair and reached for the remote.

A tall, lanky blonde with horn-rimmed glasses and a lab coat drew back the glass sliding door to Denim's tiny room. "How are you feeling, Miss Sanders?"

Michelangelo stopped what he was doing and looked at the woman. Internally Denim groaned. There she was, short, hung over, surely with smudged eye-makeup and rumpled hair but of course a gorgeous blonde walks in.

The blonde smiled, extending her hand to Denim. "I'm Doctor Page."

Denim forced up the corners of her mouth. A brilliant blonde at that. Of course.

"She's awake now so you can tell us! Is she gonna be okay? What's wrong with her?" Mikey near shouted, then dropped the TV remote, bent over to pick it up and almost bumped his head on the heart monitor machine.

Where she expected the doctor to reassure him that she was simply hungover, the physician didn't. Dr. Page looked at Michelangelo, then to her. "Forgive me, I know this is none of my business, but are you a couple? One of the nurses said you were."

Mikey grinned. "Yep, she's my Blue Jeans."

Denim braced herself, half expecting the doctor to berate them. It wouldn't change the way she felt about Mikey, nothing could. But there was only one truly mutant friendly hospital in New York and Denim hadn't been awake long enough to ask which one she was in.

Denim reached out and took Mikey's hand in hers. "Yes, why?"

The doctor winced then tried to recover. She cleared her throat and smiled at Michelangelo. "Would you mind giving us a moment?"

Denim didn't like the tone in the doctor's voice. She squeezed Mikey's hand tighter and he didn't move, a puzzled expression crossing his face.

"Why should he leave?" Denim asked. "I had alcohol poisoning right? I don't mean to make it sound like it's not serious. I get that it was irresponsible of me, but-"

"Actually, there's more to it than that. You were clearly intoxicated but not enough to cause the reaction you had." The doctor frowned. "I'd like to discuss your blood work with you, but I think we should do so privately." She looked at Michelangelo. "Please. She can share with you after I discuss some things with her."

Mikey squeezed Denim's hand a little too tight and looked to her for direction. The doctor was worrying him and that was reason enough for her to set the woman straight privately. She'd been enough trouble for one night, Mikey didn't need this too. She offered him a weak smile. "Could you call and check in on Alli for me?"

His big blue eyes darted from her to the doctor and back. "Uh- okay. But I'll be right back." He released her hand, and cast a slightly suspicious glance in the doctor's direction before he left.

The second the door closed Denim glared at the woman. "How dare you ask him to leave? We said we were together. He can hear whatever you have to say going forth. Do you understand me?"

The blonde's eyebrows rose, the set of her mouth grim. "You're pregnant."

TSOTCTSOTC

Karai zipped through the streets as Aries ran to keep up. He was by no means out of shape, but she was damn fast and in the mood to burn off some frustration left over even after their run in with the Purple Dragons. A lifetime with his sister had him trained to keep up with serpent speed, but she wasn't bothering making it any easier for him.

Part of the problem was that she knew he felt obligated to escort her home, like she couldn't take on any threat and come up on time, but Leo was wary for all members of their family, not just her, under normal circumstances. It went without saying that they were on high alert now.

What the fuck had happened? The night was supposed to be fun. A rare night out with the girls. Bringing Denim into the fold. How had it turned into an unmitigated disaster so quickly? She'd barely had time to get buzzed and was stone cold sober now. What the hell? Denim was drunk, but not THAT drunk. Zoe wasn't supposed to lose a fight to some trainee from a school they taught. And why wouldn't the AFH just leave them alone? Hadn't they screwed with her family enough already? It wasn't fair. She had not intended to end the night completely pissed off.

To his credit, Aries kept pace the whole way back to the apartment. Pushing open the door, she saw Medusa coiled by the couch, mother pacing with nervous energy and that pensive look her father got before he spent an ungodly amount of time in meditation. No matter what he or Leo said, meditation was never going to solve her problems.

A quick glance at the balcony revealed the silhouettes of Zoe, Raph and what was probably Anton. She could sense Leo in the kitchen. It had always been that way. From the first moment she'd met him, she'd been hyper aware of his presence. It annoyed her to no end, that her subconscious seemed incapable of ignoring him. The best she could do was refuse to let him know it, though she suspected he had some idea. With a hiss, she made her way towards the kitchen, reverting to human shape.

"Is everything ok?" Apparently Aries had detected the less-than-subtle signs of mother's distress as he stepped forward, to wrap up her brimming agitation, in a solid embrace.

Just before turning into the kitchen, she caught Phoenix's response. A shake of her head and a smile as she patted his arm. "Nothing to worry over Lamb's Ear." Not entirely unexpected. Mother's independent streak was famous in their clan.

Also unexpected was Leo brooding at the kitchen table. She could almost see the wheels and gears turning in his head as he reviewed not just tonight's events but those of the past couple years, trying to see what he could have missed, done differently to avoid the mess they'd found themselves in tonight.

She spun a chair around and straddled it, knowing full well that there was nothing ladylike about the position in her current ensemble and was pleased to see Leo's train of thought skitter off course. "What's done is done. Let it go."

"But..."

"What are we going to do now?" She knew better than anyone that there was no changing the past. The only way to not drown in it was to keep swimming forward. Deal with the future.

He sighed. "We need to know if there are any more sleeper agents planted at the dojo."

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Gonna have April come in and vet them? We can buy her every flavor of Haagan Daaz afterwards to ice her aching head."

Leo chuckled. "Maybe start with something a little less confrontational first. Donnie can run some background checks on the students. I probably should have been having him do that from the start."

"Leo..." Her voice held a warning that told him to drop it and keep going.

"We still need to figure out who saved Zoe."

She rested her chin on her top of the chair. "Have a burning need to thank whoever it is in person?"

He frowned. "Possibly."

The Leo she'd first met would have taken it for granted that Zoe's savior was an alley. Time, life and family responsibility had chipped away at that naïve idealism. Oh that same drive towards dashing heroics and doing what was right, simply because it was right still remained. He'd always be too good to be true. Straight out of a storybook. But he'd learned caution as he'd grown up. Maybe some of that was her. Over time they'd bled into each other a bit. He'd taught her to believe that there could be justice and heroes in the world if you wanted it bad enough and she'd grounded his idealism in hard reality. They were probably better for it, but sometimes she mourned the loss of that innocent boy she'd met on the rooftops so long ago.

"Then we'll figure out who did it and I'll prep the stationary. Maybe you can make it a thank you candy gram when you deliver it." She gave him a wink and this time he fully laughed, wiping tears of amusement from his eyes as he stood. Great she was filling in for Mikey. That wouldn't do.

"Until I've got a solid plan for completing step one of that, I doubt I'll be able to let it go."

Well there was something she could work with.

"Maybe all you need is a little motivation." In a blink she was up and in front of him, grabbing the tails of his mask on either side of his neck to pull his face towards hers. She could feel him smile into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush against him, igniting the fire between them.

Until the clearing of someone's throat doused it. Leo pulled back but didn't let go as he rested his cheek on her head. She, on the other hand, glared daggers into Aries's back as he started rummaging through the fridge.

He turned to meet her steely gaze with a roll of his eyes. "If I'm not getting any tonight, I don't see why anyone else should either."

TSOTC

The Phoenix held back, wanting to say, "Because they choose one person to get it from, that's why." But she only sighed in frustration.

While Aries did not seem to notice, Splinter did. He got up from the couch to put his hands on her shoulders and lead her to sit. "Is there something that you're not telling us?" he asked.

She shook her head, "No," she said. "I just want everyone home." Her strawberry blonde eyebrows came to a point at the bridge of her nose. "I wish April had come here."

"April is safe," Splinter said soothingly.

"No one is getting in or out of that place, Mama," Medusa told her. "You know that."

 _Anton needs a bowl of milk,_ the unbidden thought, the cadence of the words almost that of a poem.

"Zoe," she called through the open window. "Do you want a glass of milk?" _Maybe she's the one who needs milk._

TSOTC

Zoe, Raph and Anton all looked at Phoenix as if she were the one who'd had too much to drink that night. Quickly, Zoe pasted a smile on her face. Phoenix was the only mother any of them ever had, and being a mother herself she knew when something wasn't quite right. Anton's nightmare was one thing but with Phoenix in such close proximity, Zoe's gift seemed to embrace her mother's concern. Phoenix was so powerful that between them and April, Zoe didn't need to touch either of the two women to feel their emotions, she could simply tune in to them.

If only she had the ability to soothe more than just Raph and Anton. But Phoenix wasn't biologically tied to her and that was where Zoe's power ended. She could touch anyone and read their emotions, help them feel and understand what was already theirs but she could not control their feelings, not yet at least. As it stood, everyone had to do that on their own.

"Mom, I only drink milk when I eat chocolate. You know that."

Phoenix frowned and Raph tried to offer her his version of comfort. "Well don' look at me, I hate milk." He shrugged. "Ice creams okay though."

Anton squirmed in Zoe's arms, trying to get down. "I want ice cream!"

"Antonello, you're going back to bed." Zoe pointed in the distance between two buildings where the sun was well on its way up. "We all need to go to bed." Zoe stood and shooed him inside, toward Phoenix. "Give Grandmere a hug and don't drag my blanket. It's my favorite."

"I think you mean _my_ blanket." Raph corrected.

Zoe scoffed. "No, _my_ blanket."

Phoenix sighed.

"You're both wrong," Anton practically yelled as we marched past Splinter. "It's _my_ blanket!"

"Go to bed and be quiet." Raph and Zoe said in unison.

Her turtle boy was guided by his grandfather, who whispered something to him on the way. She would like to know what it was Splinter was saying, she enjoyed listening to them talk. But a chill swept over the back of her neck and she grabbed Raph's hand, pulling him along with her into the apartment. She shut the door then closed the blinds.

"Is something wrong, Zoe?" Phoenix asked.

Zoe opted to sit on her worry for the time being, it was way too early and she'd yet to go to bed. She studied Phoenix for a moment. Everyone was accounted for and safe, although they'd yet to hear how Denim was doing at the hospital. Wait. "Not with me." She shrugged, catching Raph straighten at Phoenix's questioning. Even if Phoenix dropped it, he wouldn't. Awesome. But she _could_ redirect the conversation. "Is it, maybe, Mikey you're concerned about?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim stared at the doctor who didn't seem to comprehend the ridiculousness of what she was saying.

"I wasn't sure if there was someone, else?" Dr. Page leaned forward a bit, her eyes widening as if prompting Denim to come clean about an affair.

Denim was laughing out loud, and hard, before she realized it. "That's - that's crazy. Pfft, ha ha ha, oh- my- that's funny. What a mix-up!"

The doctor stared at her.

Denim closed her mouth, tried to stop the great tide from rolling through her. She took a breath, her stomach flittering with another bout of giggles ready to erupt. "No- see, Dr. Page, Mikey brought me here because I drank too much."

Denim shook her head. "I just had a little too much fun last night."

The doctor frowned. "Ms. Sanders, I've got your blood work right here in your chart."

Denim locked eyes with the blonde, her voice frigid. "Well you've made a mistake."

"No. I can assure you we haven't." The doctor came to Denim's bedside, pointed to a lab sheet, a line reading HCG levels then another box check marked, pregnant.

Denim pushed the chart away. "That is someone else's blood work, there's been a mix up in your lab is all. I'm sorry, but there's been a mistake. I haven't missed a period. My boyfriend is a mutant, and this is just ridiculous." Her mouth set in a hard line. "And I _haven't_ cheated on him."

The doctor reached out, placed a hand on Denim's shoulder. "I believe you, and this is a rare occurrence, but it does happen. It's happening more and more actually. Contrary to belief the mutagen in a mutants DNA adapts. I really don't know why everyone thinks this is impossible when the very existence of a mutant is. Think of it like a binding agent, a universal puzzle piece. If it can blend an animal and a human or two animals, or even a living creature to an object, why does everyone think it can't blend the offspring DNA of two species? I assure you Miss Sanders, It _is_ possible," the doctor leaned forward, the scent of sanitizer wafting in Denim's nostrils. "It's also very, very dangerous. There's a ninety percent risk of miscarriage."

Denim glared at the doctor's hand on her shoulder and the woman removed it.

She scooted upright in her bed. "Listen- to – me," Denim enunciated, "I'm- not- pregnant. You've made a mistake." With a deep inhale and slow exhale she looked beyond the physician to where Mikey paced outside the door, fidgeting with his phone. "Now, if you'd please discharge me, I'm ready to go home."


	15. Chapter 14

It took Mikey a few tries to get his parents number to ring, which, considering they were on his speed dial, was telling about his state of mind.

"Michelangelo?" His father's deep, calm voice had an immediate soothing effect on him.

"Hey, Sensei. How'd you know it was me?" He chuckled, wondering if his dad was using some mystic ninja talent that he had yet to teach them.

"Your name came up in the little phone window. I presumed that meant you were calling, but this contraption is unreasonably complicated. I still prefer the cheese phone."

Right. Caller ID.

"Well, that's for emergencies only, right?" He paced his nervous energy away.

"Yes. I take it that Ms. Sanders is well then? Leonardo was quite brief in his report."

He glanced back into the room, noting that Denim looked furious. Was their doctor like Scrubs earlier? Man this was not their night. As soon as she was done tossing her cookies, he'd have to whip her up some comfort food, wash away the unpleasantness of the evening. At least she had her fire back. He'd hated seeing her so lifeless.

"Yeah, she looks like she's doing better now. I hope we'll be able to leave soon. How's Alli?" He kept moving in and out of being able to see into the room as he paced the hallway, finding it unusually difficult to keep still.

"She is sleeping soundly. Please let us know when you are on the way. Your mother is concerned."

"Uh...sure...bye, Sensei." Mikey's stomach dropped as he ended the call. Mother was concerned? That was never a good sign.

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho watched the hybrid and her... _family_ disappear back into the apartment with enough haste to make her wonder if she'd been noticed. Unlikely, but with the break of dawn lightening the sky, she couldn't be sure. Family. Creations of the EDF weren't supposed to get _family_.

Feeling an unfamiliar cold weight in her gut despite her cybernetic's temperature regulation system, she slipped down the back of the building. The hybrid wasn't her responsibility any longer. She just needed to get back to the hotel, write up the report and send it off. Then she could focus on April O'Neil and forget any of this ever happened.

She loaded her equipment back into her bike, parked in an alley to avoid the scrutiny of any early morning foot traffic. There was no reason to worry about thieves and vandals. The bike could defend itself.

She glanced back towards the apartment building, though it was no longer in view. Forgetting and moving on, might be easier said than done.

TSOTCTSOTC

Arcos kicked an empty beer bottle out of his way, it went crashing against the wall of a business building, shattering into innumerable pieces. There was a time when a noise like that would have earned him a wince in the back of his mind, but not anymore. He didn't have to hide, pretend to be a animal spirit summoned by his mother, or threaten people that they never saw him in the first place. He could walk in the light of day, safe and sound, with the same rights as everyone else in the city.

 _Bullshit._

The Americans for Humanity group reminded him glaringly of that. It was toted itself as a lobbying group with the purpose of having the federal government define, exactly, what made someone human, in order keep humanity safe. Of course, that was a nice way of saying, to keep those it did not see as humans subservient. The definition they toted was, an .008% deviation from the 'norm' of the human genome. Didn't matter that humanity had less than half a lifetime when it was actually decoding the human genome, much less the entire thing. Where they got the .008% from, he didn't know, but one look in the mirror told him that any mutant had more than an .008% difference in their DNA than the 'average' human.

That number also made any person who was part of the Kraang legacy, like his mother and April, not human. It didn't matter how human they looked, or acted, 50% of their DNA was alien, from another dimension, they were considered nonhuman sentient beings. The thought hurt his heart. He could live with himself not being considered part of humanity, he had never considered himself a part of it anyway, but his mother or for April to not be human...the world already wasted them because of whom they chose to love in their lives, that it would choose to waste them even more by disowning them completely was a sad statement on humanity.

The vision of a blonde haired, golden skinned Jennifer entered his mind. _"You've gotta be kidding me," he said. "You're kidding me, right?"_

 _"It's..it's too hard, Arcos," she said, refusing to look at him in the eye. "You're an animal."_

 _"You sound like a AFH flyer," he snapped._

 _Her blue eyes met his then..._

 _Stop thinking about this,man._ He shook his head, the smells of the city hitting him with the movement of his head. Asphalt. Diesel. Sewer. Ovens in little restaurants starting up for the morning customers. He stopped, his brain analyzing one of the smells on the wind. He didn't know w hat it was, but he recognized it. He'd smelled it before at the warehouse. He growled, his sullenness turning to anger at the thought of unfinished business. It looked like his unvented frustration had somewhere to go, after all.

"I'll find out what the hell you were doing at The Not Haunted Warehouse, buddy," he muttered, leaping up on a garbage dumpster, then to a ladder fire escape. Climbing to the top of the building, he took in a deep breath in, and ran after the scent. "And you're not going to be happy that you came by without an invitation."

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim was silent as they'd processed her out. The doctor had slipped a referral card to a high risk obstetrician in her hand before she let her leave, along with two prescriptions, one for nausea meds and another for prenatal vitamins. Denim had crumpled up the referral and threw it away. She wasn't pregnant. That wasn't even a thought she'd entertain. She'd just had too much to drink. That was all. She shoved both prescriptions in her pocket and Mikey followed her out to the waiting room.

Donatello looked up from a magazine and smiled at Mikey, but his expression fell as he appraised Denim. "Are you sure you're feeling better?"

At Donnie's question Mikey looked her over again, an uncharacteristic frown on his round cheeked face.

In truth she wasn't. It was why she'd hung onto the prescription for the nausea meds. "I need to stop by the pharmacy on the way to pick up Alli, please." She exhaled deep, letting her shoulders slump from the effort of holding herself up. But when Mikey reached out to assist her, she sidestepped him, crossing her arms around herself. With her gaze set to the floor, she apologized. "I'm really sorry, I caused so much trouble."

"I'm just glad your okay, Blue Jeans," Mikey said softly, reaching out for her again.

She stepped forward around him, and looked to Donatello. "Where's the car?"

 _Don't think. Don't think._

Mikey and Donnie exchanged glances in her peripheral before Donatello pointed toward the exit. "This way."

"I'd like to sit up front, if you don't mind," she said to Donatello. "I'm still feeling a bit off, it might help."

They'd been riding in silence, almost to the pharmacy, when Mikey's voice pierced her thoughts. "Blue Jeans?"

She stared out the window, watching the people and mutants along the sidewalk. It pleased her that more and more often humans and mutants were able walk among each other without so much as second glance. She spotted a pregnant squirrel mutant holding hands with a human man. Good for them. But she wasn't pregnant. She wasn't.

Donnie remained quiet in the backseat, while Mikey drove, but she could feel the intelligent brother's eyes on the back of her head.

They stopped at a traffic light and her gaze travelled over the crowd at the crossing.

"Denim?" Mikey tried again.

"Hmm?" she replied, not looking at him.

"You okay?" He turned toward her. "You've been real quiet since that doctor lady asked me to leave. Did she say something bad?"

He reached for her hand but she drew it in her lap.

"No." Her voice came out softer than she'd intended. "There was a mix-up but I straightened it out."

The street cleared. He was staring at her but she kept her eyes glued ahead.

"The light changed," she mumbled.

Mikey parked in the thirty minute spot in the lower part of the parking garage and Denim insisted he and Donnie wait for her in the car. They had a clear line of sight from the vehicle to the rear entry of the pharmacy, which she suspected was the only reason they agreed. Michelangelo had whined his protests before Donnie cleared his throat and gave a slight shake of his head.

She stepped into the pharmacy, scanned the aisle signs, following them to the drop off window. As she slid her prescriptions across the counter the cashier prompted her for her name. A few clicks of a keyboard later, the portly clerk smiled. "It will be about fifteen minutes if you'd like to look around."

 _Right, because shopping with a hangover is so much fun._

She was beginning to hurt for more nausea meds and hoped they'd hurry. The car ride had done nothing good for her. But some electrolytes might help. She grabbed a hand basket and ventured up and down each aisle, dropping two bottles of Gatorade in before she paused at travel aids. Motion sickness wrist bands. Those might help. She'd used them when she was pregnant with Alli, surely they'd relieve some of the nausea from a hangover. She dropped them in her basket.

She strolled the aisles, browsing the shelves for the odd trinkets and gifts pharmacy's sold, before finding herself in the feminine care aisle. When _was_ her last period? They'd asked her at the hospital and she'd felt so sick she'd dismissed the question. It just hadn't come yet. What was the date? A sense of unease settled in her already churning stomach.

Not. Pregnant. Not.

She swallowed the rising acid burning her throat.

Not.

She glanced to the right of the menagerie of pads and tampons to the smaller, rectangular boxes beside them. Why put pregnancy tests among sanitary stuff? It's not as if pregnant people need tampons? Denim closed her eyes and sighed. Well, she'd just find out for herself, then feel stupid for entertaining the notion at all.

The crackling of the loud speaker sent a shock through her outstretched fingers. "Denim Sanders, you're prescriptions are ready."

She grabbed a box, tossed it in the basket, took a step, paused and grabbed three more, one each of different brands. As she approached the counter two things occurred to her. One, this was really stupid, because she wasn't pregnant. And two, she had no method of payment on her.

TSOTCTSOTC

"Mikey, if you don't cut it out, I swear I will use pressure points to paralyze you."

He froze at the sound of Donnie's voice, realizing belatedly that he'd been drumming rather intensely on the steering wheel as his nervous energy burned through him. He hated waiting. Especially when he was worried.

"I don't need to repair my steering column on top of everything else."

He grinned sheepishly as he twisted to look back at his brother. "Sorry D."

Don's expression softened. "I get it. I do. I freak out every time that April gets sick and she usually has to run me out of the apartment until she's feeling better."

Mikey frowned and looked back towards the pharmacy. He couldn't get the image of her passed out to stop replaying in his mind. It didn't help that she'd been super agitated since leaving the hospital. She hadn't acted that distant towards him since she mistook him for a stalker at the start of their relationship. Which, in her defense, he was a little bit, but in the best possible way. "Do you think she's ok?"

Donnie nodded. "The hospital would not have discharged her otherwise. Although, if she'd let me look through her discharge papers, it be easier to determine the best course of convalescent care."

Mikey could feel the little card that he'd fished out of the trash at the hospital, burning a hole in his belt pocket. He probably hadn't been allowed to do that, but they'd been no match against his awesome ninja stealth. He didn't really know what the little scrap of paper meant, being mostly names and science-sounding gibberish. Donnie would know though. And this was the perfect opportunity to discretely bring it up to his brother. His hand hovered over the card.

"That's my girl though. An independent streak as wide as mom's. She just likes doing things her own way, you know?"

He pulled his hand back from the card. She'd tell him when she was ready. He knew she would. He was worried about her health, but as she no longer seemed in danger of dying, he'd rather honor the trust she'd placed in him. Going behind her back with her personal medical stuff would be totes inappropes.

Donnie sighed. "I know. And she's not the only one."

Mikey laughed. "Yeah, I guess all the girls can be a little stubborn."

Donnie smiled. "A little?"

Mikey glanced back at the car clock. It had been twenty minutes. "Do you think she's ok in there? It's been a while."

Donnie shrugged. "It can take some time to fill prescriptions, depending."

Assaulted with visions of Denim collapsed on the floor or doubled over a trashcan, Mikey found that he couldn't wait any longer

"I'm just gonna go check real quick."

"Mikey!"

Too late, he was already out of the car and headed into the building. Following the convenient ceiling signs he worked his way to the pharmacy register in the nearly deserted store. She was facing off with the pharmacy cashier.

"Um, is there some kind of pay later system I could use?"

"Look lady..."

Hey Blue Jeans."

Denim jumped, moving quickly to block his view of the counter. "Mikey? I thought you were going to stay in the car?"

He chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head, now wondering if maybe he'd overreacted a little. There were times when a vivid imagination could turn on you. "Well you were gone a while and I was getting kinda worried."

Her expression softened. "I know, but I'm fine and..."

"If you can't pay now, I can't sell you this." The clerk butted in and he saw Denim's jaw clench in frustration.

He had some cash on him, intending to start looking for a housewarming gift to give her for their future apartment but an opportunity to shop had not come up. It was ok. He could earn more later. Pulling out the crumpled wad of bills, he handed it to her. "Will this cover it?"

She plucked out a few of the larger bills and handed the rest back to him. "Thanks Mikey, I'll reimburse you later."

He shook his head. "Don't sweat it."

She sighed as she handed the money to the cashier, who'd already rung up and bagged her items, having seen the sale as happening, the moment Mikey pulled out the money. "I'd rather pull my own weight..."

He stepped forward to cup her face so that she was looking at him. "Hey now. We're family and family doesn't keep track of who owes what, at least not in our family. Unless you're Raph, then you'd know exactly how many beatings Dr. Prankenstein was owed, but otherwise it doesn't matter. No more yours or mine. Ours now, right?"

Her eyes glistened and she rested her head against his chest. "Family. That's still taking some getting used to."

Mikey rubbed comforting circles into her back. "Don't worry. You'll get there, cuz I'm not giving up. Now let's finish up here. You look like you could use some pampering."

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho had parked her bike and was now walking circles around the block, procrastinating. She didn't want to return to her hotel room and write the report that would see the fate of the hybrid and her child, but couldn't see anyway out of it. In the relative vicinity of April's apartment, if anyone from headquarters questioned her behavior, she could always say that she was scoping out possible ambush sites. Not that she could really focus on her mission at the moment. Tonight had thrown a major wrench in her life.

Rounding another corner, she staggered back so quickly she almost fell on her butt. He was there, waiting for. Arcos, they'd called him.

In the early morning light, she could see the variation of color in his fur, mostly a spectrum of browns, she could still detect individual strands of blonde and even a bit of red here and there all blending together into the overall pleasing shade that was his coat. Despite his initially aggressive posture, she didn't feel threatened. What was it about him that made her relax her guard?

His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her. Though he'd clearly been waiting for her, she was obviously not what he'd been expecting. With a shake of his head, he schooled his features back into seriousness. "You killed that man outside the warehouse. Why?"

Shit! How did he know that? She was certain that she hadn't been seen. The ticker played across her vision. _Eliminate the witness_. No! Not him. But what could she do? She had to obey. Or did she?

Seemingly unaware of her inner turmoil, he pressed on. "What is your interest in my family?"

She really hoped that she could pull this off. If it worked it wouldn't solve the problem, but it would buy her time to find a better a solution. And she would find a better solution, somehow.

Taking a deep breath, she rushed him, a startling move as he wasn't expecting her to fight. With her unnatural speed slightly checked, he blocked each punch. Good. This needed to look as authentic as possible.

At least it was good until he caught her wrist. She could see in his eyes that he could feel the metal frame of her cybernetic arm. Shock transformed into anger as he growled. "Kraang?"

He swiped with his other paw and she didn't attempt to dodge, gasping in pain as his claws raked across her side and hip. She'd needed to be injured, but that was deeper than expected and at least partially in an area where she still had real nerve endings.

He gasped as he stared in disbelief at the very human blood on his claws with a few of those stupid paste on nails stuck in the mix from the pseudo pocket he'd ripped open in his pants. The moment of confusion was all she needed.

Injured enough to have a viable excuse to run, she wrenched her wrist free of his paw and clutched her arm to her wounded side as she sprinted away with inhuman speed. Using the Bluetooth connection in her head, she triggered her bike to start and vaulted onto it.

Behind her, she could hear him following as he called out. "Wait!"

Cranking the throttle and stomping the accelerator pedal, she burned rubber as she tore away from him and the fight she wished she could avoid forever.


	16. Chapter 15

"No," Phoenix answered, more harshly than she meant. She often felt that all of the kids thought that she and Splinter were a pair of old dottards, but mainly her. _Maybe if we just redirect her attention, she'll go off and be crazy by herself._ "I am concerned with Antonello," she said.

Phoenix's directness didn't faze Zoe. If she could handle Raph's blunt attitude, and his mini-him's, the only woman she'd ever called Mom couldn't shake her. She motioned a hand toward the kitchen. "I want a cup of tea, while we wait. Care to join me?"

The older woman huffed, sweeping into the kitchen and taking two of the many tea cups and pouring them. She slid one over to Zoe, attempting to keep her temper in check. Aries passed her, reaching his three fingered hand to stroke her shoulder, but removed it as soon as he touched her and she stiffened. He sighed, joining Raph, not ten steps away, in the living room.

Zoe switched her seat so she was farther out of Raphael's earshot. She lifted the mug close to her face, inhaling the creamy vanilla scent. It soothed her a bit as she sipped it. Phoenix looked at her expectantly. Where should she begin? She'd always been straight with her, mostly because she was just so damn grateful to have her. "I'm a little worried too, actually."

"He wouldn't tell us what his dream was about," Phoenix explained, calming a little at Zoe's honesty. "Only that is was real. And that it was bad." She pursed her lips together, pushed the tea cup away from her without having drank any. "Did tell you what it was?"

Zoe stared into the rose-hued tea, trying to steady the slight trembling of her hand. It was just a nightmare. It was. "You know, Mom, this particular nightmare scares even me."

 _Cold steel, restraints, searing fluorescent yellow liquid… an agonizing steady drip into her vein._

The sound of porcelain shattering amid the sensation of hot fluid scalding her hand, jerked Zoe to the present.

Phoenix reached over to her daughter, her reflexes much quicker and more precise than a one would have thought the older woman capable of. A wave of heat hit her hand from both inside and out, as she let the golden light leave her and enter Zoe. "What did he dream?" she asked gently, all vestiges of her former annoyance gone.

"That they came for me," Zoe said in a rush. Raph would've heard the mug. He'd-

"Everything okay in there?" He called from the couch.

"Everything is fine," Phoenix said gently, just loud enough that Raph would hear.

"Shut up, man," Aries said with a gruff voice. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Is everything alright?" Splinter endured from his bedroom, his golden eyes looking down at the puddle on the kitchen table.

"I don't think that's what it is," Phoenix said to Zoe. "I mean, I don't think we need to worry about that." She retracted her hand, and sighed heavily.

Splinter put his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently, initiating a rare display of public affection. "Antonello is asleep again," he said, his gaze falling on Zoe. "What is it that upset the boy so?"

Zoe picked up the larger shards of the fractured mug, frowning. "He had a nightmare that someone took me from him."

She deposited the pieces in the trash and pulled a towel from the drawer, cleaning up the mess. Her muscles bunched and gathered in her arms, as if preparing for a fight. Yet her insides shivered as a chill rose over the back of her neck. She wanted to run, struggled with the urge. But from who and to where? "That kind of thing even if it was just a dream…"

Zoe shook her head, rubbing the table beyond what was necessary. She swallowed, squared her shoulders and looked from Splinter to Phoenix. "But if Mom says that's not it, I really don't know what is."

Zoe dropped the wet towel in the sink then hovered near Splinter, her arms at her sides. The corners of his mouth tipped up a bit before he opened his arms to her. She was glad that he and Phoenix understood what she needed without her always initiating. She didn't want to push herself on her parents, they had a brood after all.

"All will be well as long as we are a family." Splinter assured her.

The hug was brief, but long by Zoe's standards and she backed away feigning a stretch. His words were like balm over a scrape but the wound itself was still there.

She yawned and stretched like the part-feline she was. A glance around the living room showed her Raph dozing on the couch, Aries in the armchair, and Medusa coiled up on the floor. "I think I'm going to cat nap with Anton and the kids while we wait for the others."

"That's probably a good idea," Phoenix agreed but did not move.

Splinter gave a nod of approval but remained silent.

Zoe stood, a sympathetic smile forming. "You're waiting up for them, aren't you?"

Phoenix's eyes shifted toward the front door. "Yes we are."

Warmth blossomed and spread through Zoe's chest. No matter what was going on this family could count on each other, and she was grateful to be a part of it. "You're such good parents," Zoe whispered.

"As are you," Phoenix replied, while Splinter's eyes shone with pride.

Zoe hesitated to leave them, but couldn't resist the growing need to hold her son. "I'd sit up with you, but I really want to check on Anton."

"It's fine, Zoe. Should we wake you when they get here?" Phoenix asked.

"Of course," she nodded, before stealthing down the hall. She wasn't sure if Raph would wake when she slipped by the couch or not. Most likely he would, still on edge from the nights events and the contents of Anton's nightmare.

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo lay in bed, wide awake, alternating between considering a range of policy changes at the dojo, making lists of damage control measures and worrying over his missing family members. How long was normal for an ER visit? He had absolutely no frame of reference. Should he have insisted they bring her straight to mother? Could the hospital offer better medical care? Would mother's abilities frighten Denim? She was fairly open-minded, but it seemed safer not to bombard her with all their family's eccentricities at once.

He didn't know how long he'd been laying there chasing his thoughts in circles, unable to do anything at the moment, but he knew that Karai was awake too. Because of him. Although he was completely still, or maybe because he was rigidly motionless, she was totally aware that he wasn't sleeping and it was keeping her up. Another thing to feel guilty over. He wished he could sleep for her sake, but there would be no rest. No chance of it even, until Mikey, Donnie and Denim were home safe from the hospital.

The minutes continued to tick by, until Karai finally let out an exasperated huff before flipping atop him, causing him to emit his own gasp of surprise. Straddling his thighs, she gazed down at him with that wicked smile that never failed to send shivers down his shell. "If neither of us are going to get any rest, there are better ways to pass the time than pretending to sleep."

Part of his mind protested that he needed to remain vigilant, awaiting the return of his family. A competing voice told the first to shut up and enjoy this. Karai dragged a nail down the center of his plastron and the second voice won, stomping the first completely out of mind.

With one hand on her hip, the other slid up her back to guide her down to him. Their lips were just short of connecting when he heard the door open, followed by a flurry of voices and activity in the living room.

Karai pulled back some and rested her forehead against his, chuckling darkly. "I think I may be developing a new talent for summoning relatives."

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe pushed open the door and found her son amid the pile of children on the floor. Good, he was on the edge of the makeshift bed of blankets and unrolled sleeping bags. Alli was in the middle, Yuuta on her other side. The little girl's arms were outstretched on either side of her, one hand across Yuuta's nightshirt, the other in Antonello's face.

There was no way he was sleeping with anything touching his face. She knelt beside him, reaching for Alli's hand when Anton's eyes opened. "Don't, Mom."

Zoe's head tipped to the side. She just managed to keep her voice low, taken aback by her son's request. "Why not?"

Anton's mouth bowed beneath Alli's hand. Zoe went ahead and maneuvered the child's arm to her side. Then lie down beside Anton while Alli stirred a bit.

"She's gonna wake up and start cryin' again." Anton complained.

Zoe lifted her head from the pillow. "When was she crying?"

"When I told her bout the new dream I had. Not the nightmare, a new one." Anton rolled his eyes, replicating one of his father's classic expressions. "Don' know why she'd be sad bout' getting a new baby. I think it'd be cool."

He made Alli cry? Great, Mikey was already mad at her, if Anton gets Allison upset too, he'll be downright furious. "Honey, what are you talking about?"

"I had a dream, it wasn't as scary. Alli woke me up when her hand hit me in the face earlier so I moved it, but she woke up too. So we started talkin' and she was whinin' she missed her Mom." Anton shrugged, "I thought I'd tell her bout my dream but then she started cryin'." He folded his arms over his blanket-covered plastron. "Girls is such cry babies."

Beside him Alli's lip trembled, her dark blue eyes glossy in the morning light. "I am not!" she cried.

Zoe sighed. Great, now two were awake and with the amount of noise Alli was making, paired with the increasing volume of her son-

Yuuta sat up, bleary eyed, but alerted enough by Alli's cry that he pointed to her then held his hands up in question.

Alli boo-hooed, tears cascading down her sleep-flushed cheeks. "Mikey won't want to be my daddy if he has a baby with my mommy."

Zoe's heart jerked as she sat upright. "What? Oh, Alli, no sweet girl." She reached over a scowling Anton, pulling the feather-light human child in her lap. "Honey, no. First of all whatever dream Anton had, it was just a dream."

It was. Wasn't it?

"You'll see, then you'll believe me," Anton complained.

Zoe heard noise coming from the living room, the front door opening then Mikey and Donnie's voices. There was the sound of feet rushing toward the hall then the bathroom door was closed in semi-quiet haste, before retching ensued.

Guess Denim was released. Shouldn't she not be sick anymore if she's been to the hospital?

Three sets of eyes looked up at her before Alli scrambled free of Zoe's arms, stumbling to her feet. "I hear Mikey!"

Oh no. No. No! She did not need Allison bolting off telling Mikey some story that was an impossible dream of Antonello's.

Zoe tried to guide Alli back in her lap, but the girl shrieked. "I want my Daddy! He's my Daddy, mine, mine!"

Zoe gasped, opening her loosely closed fingers from Alli's wrist. Had the girl ever called him Daddy before?

Alli was struggling with the doorknob when Michelangelo near knocked her over opening it. 

TSOTCTSOTC

"We're home." Donnie announced unnecessarily as he pushed the door open, grateful that it was unlocked, and stepped out of the way as Mikey practically carried a particularly green-looking Denim into the living room.

Mikey tried steadying her while forcing a smile. "See, told ya we'd make it."

Swaying, even after discarding her impractical footwear, which still littered the floor of his car, pushed her over the edge. Eyes wide, she clapped her hands over her mouth and dashed for the bathroom with Mikey barely a step behind, reciting several meaningless platitudes of encouragement.

Donnie cringed at the sound of Denim's retching, unsure of what he could do to help. He'd seen her pop the anti-nausea medication in the car and couldn't think of anything else to help her. Maybe she should have given it more time to work before trying the Gatorade.

From the hallway, he could hear Alli. "I hear Mikey!" The declaration was almost immediately followed by her shrieks. "I want my Daddy! He's my Daddy, mine, mine!"

Rubbing his temples, Don decided to leave that to Mikey. With a sigh, he staggered over to the couch, where Raph was pretending to sleep and sank gratefully into the small space his brother wasn't occupying. He'd gone much longer than this without adequate sleep on a regular basis, but the evening had been unusually stressful and that took its toll.

Forcing his eyes open, he looked to Medusa, who was watching and waiting from her coil on the floor. "April?"

"Home safe. I made sure."

He nodded gratefully.

"Well?"

He cringed at his mother's voice, knowing he'd be the one to catch it for suggesting the hospital over her. She eyed him, waiting, arms crossed over her chest as his father stood patiently beside her, the soul of calm. No sense in putting it off.

"They discharged her and prescribed some medication for the nausea."

Phoenix's eyes flicked to the bathroom. "Working great I see."

He frowned but could not disagree as Denim's retching was still audible, if muffled, through the bathroom door.

"So, what did the hospital say was wrong with her?" Indignance laced his mother's voice.

He could only shrug. "She wouldn't tell me or Mikey. But she seemed upset…at least she was before the nausea resumed."

Phoenix's brow furrowed. "I should take a look at her."

Although it drove him nuts that he couldn't make scientific sense of his mother's abilities, yet, he had to admit that he agreed. Denim needed help and his mother never failed to deliver. "Go carefully. She's…defensive."

Phoenix smiled, seeming slightly amused. "I think I can handle a little stubbornness."

He nodded and leaned his head back against the couch, closing his eyes. Micro-naps were his self-perfected specialty.

"Report." He cracked his eyes open, seeing Leo standing in front of him with a very irritated-looking Karai at his side.

"I'm going to check on Zoe and Anton." Raph abandoned him to his chagrin.

He sighed. It had barely even started, but he already knew this was going to be a long day.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim dropped the pharmacy bag on the bathroom floor, just making it to the toilet in time to lose what she'd drank of her Gatorade.

As she gasped for breath she noted that she desperately wanted and needed a shower. Her stomach seemed slightly content now that it had rid itself of the offensive beverage and she grimaced at how her cheek was resting against a toilet seat.

Just outside the door Mikey's whimpers of concern needled their way into her heart. The poor guy had worked all night, came to get her drunk butt, then she blacked out on him, woke up, acted like a total bitch... Yet he still, happily paid for her medications, meds that he didn't even know what they were for.

The white porcelain blurred out of focus, water gathering on her eyelashes. She couldn't do this again. Not him, anything but him.

Lifting her head first, she sat upright bit by bit, wiping at her eyes as she inched backward. She rested against the side of the bathtub, her gaze drifting to the bag on the floor beside her.

She'd really like more privacy than him hovering nearby, but that wasn't likely to happen with her getting sick so soon after leaving the hospital.

"Blue Je-" he began, but was cut-off by Allison's shriek.

Denim scrambled to her feet, but the quick motion sent her world spinning. "Oh, no." She flung out a hand, gripping the counter top as her stomach bottomed out. Black spots danced before her eyes. She dropped to her knees and crawled to the bathroom door.

She was just about to yell through it, despite knowing it would wake everyone up, when she heard Alli not only call Michelangelo her Daddy, but insist to him that he belonged to her and no one else.

Denim closed her eyes, great pressure building in her chest. Not him. This cannot happen to him too. Alli deserves him. "It can't be true. It just can't."

She eyed the evil bag once more, reached for it and slid it contents out for her to see. "It was a mistake. A mix-up. Mikey's going to be fine. Alli's fine. Everything's going to be fine." 

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey had no sooner set Denim to her bare feet, announcing that they'd made it, that her hands flew up to her mouth and she tore off to the bathroom.

He ran after her, trying to say something he wished would just take her sickness away. But somehow, 'you're gonna be okay,' and 'it'll settle any second now,' didn't work and the bathroom door was shut in his face.

Why was she still sick? Donnie said they wouldn't have sent her home if she wasn't better. But what if they didn't treat her right because she was there with mutants?

Blue Jeans gagged like she couldn't stop for breath and he considered breaking the doorknob so he could at least hold her hair, or rub her back.

His fingers hovered over the handle. "Blue J-"

Alison's shriek pierced the walls, straight through his ear holes. He'd heard her cry thousands of times in the year he and Denim had been together, but seldom did she make this particular sound.

"I want my Daddy! He's my Daddy, mine, mine!"

His heart jerked as if he'd taken an electric shock, while his feet moved with ninja quickness to his parents and Yuuta's closed bedroom door. He was tempted to break it down in a very Raph-like emotional tirade, but stopped short, opting to just use the knob.

He felt a faint tugging from the other side as he shoved the door open with a little too much force. He wasn't one to lose control, but he wanted Alli in his arms like the second she needed him. A little irked that she'd had to make a sound to let him know she did, he wished he was like April and could just sense it when his girls wanted him.

Oh, sewer apples! It was Alli that'd been tugging on the door!

He stumbled one step forward with too much momentum, but being the awesome ninja he was, rebalanced and managed to snatch up a sobbing Alli in the process.

"What's wrong, baby girl?" He frowned, his heart aching for her like a Kraang scientist was carving it out from beneath his plastron.

Alli's fear and hurt seeped through her choked sobs, her little arms and legs in full spider monkey- Clingon mode. He held her tighter than usual, with a desperate need to fix what was wrong for at least one of his girls.

"You're my daddy, mine! Mine!" Alli cried into his neck. Her proclamation sent moisture to his eyes. "Mine and I won't share you, I won't."

His shoulder was wet with her pitiful choked sobs, her little chest shuddering as her heart jerked with the gasps between tears. This cry was real hurt, the deep kind his tough tot rarely let loose. "My, Mikey, my Daddy, mine, you're mine."

Mikey barely fought the lump in his throat. "Shhh, course I'm yours, Alli."

He squeezed her just a bit, as something wet slipped down his cheek.

As far as he was concerned Alli was his, and had been for a long time. He shoulda told her sooner, but wanted her to decide for herself. He just didn't think it'd be like this when she talked to him about it. "What happened to upset ya like this, Alli-bird?"

Allison lifted her head, shifting her hands to push her torso up so she could look him in the eye. Her dark blues, almost like her mother's only Alli's were flecked with gray instead of her moms gold, were puffy and red-rimmed so bad they summoned a pout from his lip. He nudged her chin with his pointer finger in the way that usually made her smile.

When more tears erupted he near panicked. "Ah, Alli what is it?"

She tried to answer him but was doing that sniffling gasping thing kids did when they'd worked themselves up too much. "You- won't-love-me-anymore." She choked then sucked in air in between sobs. Her little fingers pressed hard against his neck.

"Alli, I will always love you, no matter what. I promise." He assured her. He may be helpless to stop Denim from tossing her Gatorade but he could fix this. He would. "Talk to me, sweetness, tell me what's bothering my little girl?"

"E-v-e-r-y body h-h-has a d-addy. I-I never d-did, an I want," she sucked in air, her little chest seeming to dip in then skip where it should've exhaled. "I want y-you to b-be m-mine." She'd worn herself out, lowered her head to his shoulder holding onto him like he'd vanish.

She'd let it slip a few times before, calling him daddy. He'd loved it so much he hoped she'd do it again the second she'd done it. But he knew it was accidental, and not wanting her to stop he'd not allowed himself to react. That had taken all the ninja skills he had in him. This though- this was different.

He hoped it wasn't totes inappropes, but he couldn't exactly check with Denim at the moment for the okay, and the truth was it wouldn't have changed the way he felt, even if for some bizarre reason she didn't approve.

"Allison, I love being your dad." He promised her. "You can claim me as yours forever and ever. Like nothing in the whole universe could keep me from being yours." And with his his heart swelling like it might explode, he meant every word.

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo watched the bustle in the kitchen, through grainy bloodshot eyes. He hadn't slept all the entire night. He'd thought he might get an hour or so in after Denim, Mikey and Donnie got home, but with Denim still obviously ill, sleep was elusive. Besides, everyone was pretty much awake now and had been ever since their arrival.

Behind him, mother and father sat beside each other on the couch, sipping tea from steaming mugs in an almost synchronized, alternating pattern. Based on the weariness of their postures and tendency to stare out into space when someone wasn't demanding their direct attention, he doubted either of them had gotten any more sleep than he did.

While it was not uncommon for his father to be calm and still, there was an unusual dullness to the sense of awareness that typically cloaked. It reminded Leo of a few of the nights he and his brothers had come home late from dangerous missions as teenagers. He couldn't help wondering how many late nights his father had endured since they'd first started going topside.

Purposeless stillness in his mother was another thing entirely. She was usually a busy whirlwind of activity unless she had a good reason to be otherwise. So seeing her in such a vacant state unnerved him. Though he was encouraged as by her periodically shaking the exhaustion off to glance at the bathroom poor Denim was currently occupying.

But the evening had taken its toll. Assuming things could be sorted out to satisfaction in the near future, he wouldn't mind sitting in meditation with them for a bit, to get some kind of mental recharge to face the day with.

Medusa's head rested on the end of the couch, her long body, sloping down into a coil as the kids rode down her neck like a slide. Zoe, seemingly reluctant to be apart from Anton, sat curled up in the recliner, watching with the children with a small smile, that occasionally drooped into a worried frown whenever she happened to glance towards the bathroom. At least someone was having a good time. He'd have to thank Medusa later for keeping the little ones entertained and distracted, although he suspected she enjoyed it as much as they did.

Karai leaned against the frame of the archway leading into the kitchen, watching with disinterest as Donnie and Aries 'discussed' possible recipes based on the available ingredients while Raph sat waiting expectantly at the table.

Feeling useless and hating it, Leo stepped tentatively into the kitchen. It was subtle, but enough to catch the attention of both Aries and Donnie.

"No." Tired from the night before, Don lacked some of his usual tact.

Leo put his hands up in a gesture of peace. "I just thought I could help…"

"Who do you think has to fix all the appliances you break?" Aries responded without a trace of sympathy and Don's silence spoke his agreement.

"Didn't you set the kitchen on fire last time you tried helping with a meal?" Raph's tone indicated that the question was rhetorical, but Karai answered anyway.

"Yes. And we were just making sandwiches. How did you manage that?"

He shook his head. "That only happened once and it was fine since the kitchen fire extinguisher is easily accessible."

Karai rolled her eyes. "The sandwiches weren't fine."

Leo crossed his arms indignantly. "Would you rather help?"

"No. I'd rather not have venom spit in my breakfast."

Karai hissed at Aries' response and stalked back into the living room.

Before Leo could attempt to be useful again, Mikey entered the kitchen, dragging his shell, until he saw what was going on and snapped to attention. "Whoa, hold up. I got this."

Aries and Don backed off as Mikey, in a blur of orange and green, started throwing ingredients into bowls, haphazardly and without measurement, completely ignoring Donnie's cringes. Leo just watched in amazement at the phenomenon that never got old no matter how many times he'd witnessed it. Knowing that, unless Mikey was feeling particularly adventurous, the food would taste incredible only added to the miraculous nature of the event.

Within minutes, bacon and eggs were frying in two separate pans, bread was toasting and batter heated in the waffle iron, making the whole apartment smell mouth-watering. How the least focused of his brothers could do this every single time never failed to astound him.

Mikey turned to Donnie. "What's good on an upset stomach? My gut tells me waffles."

With his iron gullet, Mikey was the last person to know what was good for nausea. Donnie winced, probably in sympathy for Denim. "Generally, bananas, rice, dry toast and applesauce, but you really should make sure she can keep clear liquids down first."

Mikey shuddered. "Not mom and dad's medicinal teas?"

"Ugh, shell no." Donnie commiserated. "Try water again, if she's feeling up to it."

Mikey nodded and quickly set up the rice cooker. "Raph can you check to see if there's any of Yuuta's applesauce cups in the fridge?"

"Yeah." Normally, after a night like last night, Raph would have snapped at Mikey, but since this was obviously for Denim's benefit, he got up and pulled a couple single serve applesauce containers out of the fridge without complaint.

With the rice cooker set up, he grabbed a couple bananas from the bowl on top of the fridge and set them next to the applesauce, then slid the first round of waffles, bacon, eggs and toast onto respective plates before starting up another round.

"Think you guys can keep this going while I check on Denim again?"

Leo started to approach, but Mikey caught the motion. "Not you." He stepped back, disappointed.

"We'll manage somehow." Aries responded dryly.

"And leave some toast for Denim in case she wants it." Mikey called out, catching the water bottle Raph tossed his way as he exited the room.

Three sets of eyes turned warily towards him as he walked fully into the room for the first time. "I can at least set out plates and glasses. I think we have milk and orange juice in the fridge." They relaxed as Leo limited himself to tasks within his sphere.

Raph tried scooting his chair in to accommodate Leo's passing, but the kitchen was small and crowded.

"Maybe you can wrangle the kids together and get them to eat some breakfast?" Raph caught the subtext in Leo's suggestion. _Unless you're planning on helping, find somewhere else to sit._

With a grunt of acquiescence, Raph rose to his feet and tromped out of the kitchen. Leo could only make out some low murmuring until Alli's voice rang out.

"I need to go potty!"

"Wait! Me first. I've had to go lots longer than you." Anton called back.

Leo groaned. Well this was going to be a problem.

Karai sauntered into the kitchen, weaving around him, then Aries and Donnie to reach for a coffee cup. "Zoe," she practically yelled.

"What?" Zoe asked, sticking her head in between Leo and the doorway.

Karai talked over her shoulder while pouring black coffee in her mug. "Tell Denim she can lie down my room. At least give her somewhere to go while the kids pee. Just make sure she has a trash can or something to hurl in. I don't want that shit in my bed."

"I think you mean _our_ bed," Leo corrected.

Donnie, Aries and Raph snickered.

Karai turned and took a sip of her drink, one eyebrow popping up. "Did I stutter?"

TSOTCTSOTC

While each test was supposed to give a near immediate response, Denim wasn't ready to look at them. They sat in a perfect row on the edge of the counter while she rinsed her mouth out with mouthwash, the scent of which nearly put her back over the toilet.

She mumbled five, "I'm fines," through the door; to Mikey three times, and Phoenix twice. The entire household was awake now, thanks to her daughter's screams. When scents of coffee drifted under the door she thought she'd lose it again.

As she washed her face a soft knock befell the door. "Denim, it's Zoe. I'm sorry to bother you, but there's three kids out here who really have to use the bathroom. Leo and Karai said you can lay down in their bed if you need to rest." The woman sighed. "Mikey is about to go wake the neighbors and ask if the kids can use their toilet. I didn't think you'd like that so I-"

"Zoe!" Raph snapped, his voice traveling down the hall. "He said leave her alone."

Denim tugged on the motion sickness bands clinging to her wrist, not answering Zoe until Raph demanded she get away from the door. That drew Mikey's attention and she heard him speak to his sister with uncharacteristic rudeness.

"I told you to leave her alone, Zoe. If you'd looked after her better she might not be in there."

"Excuse me, Michelangelo, if I wasn't being accosted by a damn AFH sleeper agent!" Zoe retaliated.

"Stop fighting," Denim mumbled, then cleared her throat and repeated herself as loud as she could with her throat raw as it was.

The hall fell silent, little grumbles and growls but no further argument.

"Please, please, I really have to go!" Anton whined.

"Mommy! I gotta go potty!" Alli cried.

 _It's now or never. Just look at the damn things. Look! The kids need the damn bathroom, and you need peace of mind. Look already._

She took a deep breath and picked up the three sticks. 


	17. Chapter 16

TSOTCTSOTC

"Oh gods," Denim gasped.

The kids whining grew louder, even when several adults tried in vain to quiet them. Denim thrust the tests into her pharmacy bag with her prescriptions and gathered it in one hand.

Her entire body was shaking, her knees wobbly as she opened the door. Anton was restrained by Zoe, as she insisted Alli go first, Yuuta danced around behind Mikey, who she avoided altogether.

She recalled the location of Leo and Karai's room, her feet auto-piloting her to it.

"I'll take care of Allison," she heard Phoenix say.

Then Mikey was right behind her. She felt guilty for near collapsing on his brother and sister's bed, as gross as she was, but the mattress, despite its lumps, was the softest thing she'd felt in fourteen hours. She flopped down facing the wall.

"Denim, you still seem real sick," Mikey knelt beside the bed, thick fingers stroking her hairline. "Do you want to go to another hospital? A different one?"

What did she want? Not that. She should tell him. She rolled to face blue eyes that never failed to take her breath away. It had been those gems that stopped her mouth from working when she'd met him.

 _"What's your name?" He'd asked._ _  
_  
She hadn't been able to get her brain to work with her lips and tongue to answer him. A year later they still had that effect on her. The corners of her mouth tipped up a bit, tears brimming as she lifted her fingers to his cheek. "I can't lose you, Mikey."

"Lose me?" he echoed. He pointed to himself. "Me? This guy right here? No way, I'm not going anywhere without you, Blue Jeans." His huge smile faded, but the light in his eyes shone bright. "I'd die before I let that happen."

Denim choked, struggling with the lump in her throat, but couldn't hold back the sob that broke free. She sat up, wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "That's what I'm afraid of." 

Mikey hugged her tight. "Blue Jeans, I'm not the one losing everything I drink right now. I wasn't the patient in the hospital either. I'm not in danger of anything but taking care of you." He pulled back, wiped away her tears with his thumbs. So, uh- where's this coming from?"

Denim's insides were a churning mess, her fingers shaking as she pointed to the window. She was going to tell him. It wasn't in her to keep anything from him. They were always straight with one another and she credited that with a large part of why they worked so well. "Can you just humor me and uh, make sure nobody is going to shoot you or anything, please?"

He sat back on his haunches and looked at her. "Did somebody drug you, Denim? Is that why you were mad at the doctor? Are one of those Untainted assholes trying to mess with you again?"

Her lower lip quivered, as her eyes darted from him to the window. "No, Mikey, it's just, when I-" her throat closed up as she choked on her words. "When I told Kyle he died. And I don't want anything to happen to you, so just-" Tears slipped down her cheeks, "Just look and make sure you don't see anything, then-"

Mikey frowned. "There's nothing out there, Denim. I'm fine, but I gotta tell ya, you're freaking me out." He studied her eyes in such a way she suspected he was trying to figure out if she was high or something. "Maybe I should get Mom."

He stood and turned for the door. Denim clamped her eyes shut, inhaled deep and let the words spew out of her. "The doctor at the hospital said I'm pregnant, and I didn't believe her so I took three tests in the bathroom and they're all positive, and I swear I've never cheated on you so, uh, I'm freaking out."

 _Whew. There I did it._ Denim exhaled. Now that part was over, and history hadn't repeated itself, she felt much better.

TSOTCTSOTC

It was impossible for Phoenix to eavesdrop on anyone while trying to get all three little ones in various places so they call pee at the same time. But she'd had four mutants of her own, and one tiny bathroom, she knew how to make it work.

"Anton, you get the toilet," she said with authority. The little boy jumped on it, wiggle as he made himself comfortable, swinging his legs, his little mouth set in a scowl as if he was being defiled by being forced to do so.

"Squeaky Toy, you get the bathtub." The rat pup squeaked, sounding just liked a squeaky toy, and jumped on the edge of the bath. "At the drain, young man," his mother told him. He positioned himself toward the front of the tub. "Keep it in the tub, Yuuta," she said warningly. "I mean it." He was too busy squeaking a laugh with a huge smile on his face as the sound of tinkling and an arch of light yellow hit the white of the tub.

"The ladies get the sink," Phoenix said to Alli, lifting her up and helping her take her underpants off. She then held her over the looming hole, putting a hand over the spigot to protect the girls' backside, should she move in the wrong direction and try to gouge herself.

Alli looked concerned at first, glancing at Anton and Yuuta. Neither boy was paying attention to her, but rather to Yuuta's attempt to hit the drain with his urine stream using different body angles. Then, the little girl was able to relax enough to let her tinkling sing with the rest, as the bathroom filled with the arid smell of pee.

Splinter poked his head in and raised an eyebrow. Shaking his head, he retreated without a word.

TSOTCTSOTC

"The doctor at the hospital said I'm pregnant..."

The world momentarily faded away and Mikey lost track of the rest of what she said as those words reverberated within his skull on repeat until his brain finally processed them into meaning.

"We're having a baby?" He asked the question although he wasn't actually listening for a response. She smiled, or at least he thought she did. Being six miles high at the moment, it was hard to be aware of anything.

"We're having a baby! I thought something was wrong but it's alright. Better than alright. We're having a baby!"

Through his visions of baby Anton and Yuuta and his imagination's expansion of Alli's baby pics, some part of his brain stayed connected enough to reality that he stopped himself from picking her up and spinning her. Bad idea. Instead he settled for a kick flip, not at all inhibited by the small, crowded space.

"Woohoo! I gotta tell everyone!"

Denim reached out for him. "Mikey, wait..."

But he was already out in the hallway, where he could hear Karai complaining.

"Mother, just because you're the only one in the household with no sense of smell..."

"I'm having a baby!" He scooped Karai up, dragging her into an involuntary dance.

"Put me down you lunatic before..." She was cut off as he promptly dropped her on her butt in favor of giving his mom a huge bear hug as she exited the bathroom then swept Alli from her arms.

"I'm having a baby! You're going to be a big sister Alli-bird. The best big sister ever!"

Alli's eyes widened and she clung tightly to him as he bounded into the living room, immediately becoming the center of attention.

"I'm having a baby!"

Before anyone could respond, he rushed out onto the balcony, Alli clamped tightly to his side and shouted at the top of his lungs. "I'm having a baby!"

Leo grabbed him by the shell, yanking him back inside. "It's seven in the morning, what are you doing?"

Raph snickered, munching on a slice of bacon. "I think Donnie might need to explain a few facts of life to ya bro. Ya ain't got the equipment."

Mikey flushed, but was too excited to be truly embarrassed. "Denim's pregnant. We're gonna have two kids." He beamed.

Aries snorted. "You guys don't have any place to live yet and you're having a baby? Didn't think that one through did you?"

Medusa laughed. "Like you're one to talk about responsibility."

He glared at her. "I'll have you know that ever since Raph and Zoe's adventures in teen parenting, I've been taking precautions."

Raph jumped to his feet, ready for a fight. "You tryin' ta start something?"

Mikey was too busy on cloud nine to care about the developing brawl. "Everything will work out and be absolutely awesome. You'll see. Hey Donnie do you think the new baby will be human like Alli or a turtle like Anton?"

He was too fixated on his brother to notice how his nephew perked up at the possibility, though Raph and Zoe caught it.

Don looked up from his phone, not smiling. "I've doing some research since your announcement..."

"So for the last minute?" Aries asked skeptically.

"...and there is some data on mutant-human hybrid pregnancies."

"Well? What's it gonna be? Human? Turtle? Human-Turtle mashup? That would be so cool!"

"Isn't that what we already are, nutball?"

Mikey tuned out Raph's question as he eagerly gestured for Donnie to fill him in.

Donnie's frown deepened. "Mikey, you might want to sit down."

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe could read Donnie's expression even if she hadn't felt his flare of distress and knew what needed to be done even before Don asked. Picking up a squirming Anton who was indignant over being carried even as he relished the closeness, she carefully pried Alli away from Mikey's side. "Who wants some waffles?"

Anton pouted as Alli looked longingly back at Mikey. She focused on Anton for the moment. "Uncle Mikey made them, so you know they're going to be good."

Out of the edge of her vision she caught Alli looking hungrily towards the kitchen at the mention of the waffle's source, not feeling manipulated as she'd been speaking to Anton. She could also see her son's resolve crumble at the memory of how good his uncle's cooking tasted, though not yet entirely convinced.

"But..."

"Don't worry. Daddy will stay and listen, so he can give you the short version later." She told him with a wink. 

"I will?"

At the sound of Raphael's voice, she turned towards him. "Yes, you will."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, but I'm owed another plate of bacon for this."

That pushed Anton over the edge and he nodded. Taking both children by the hand, she led them into the kitchen, where father sat watching Yuuta stuff large forkfuls of waffle into his mouth. Upon seeing her enter with the rest of the children, he rose, helped himself to a fresh cup of tea and made a quick exit.

As Alli and Anton climbed onto their seats, she prepared each of them a plate, adding generous helpings of butter, maple syrup and powdered sugar. Some training would burn off Anton's sugar high. She'd leave Alli's rush in Mikey's capable hands. If anyone had strategies for burning off hyper energy it would be him. Whether or not any of those were actually good ideas was another matter and not her problem.

As she worked, Anton turned to Alli. "Told ya."

She cringed the moment the words were out of his mouth and rushed to intervene as she cut up their waffles into bite-sized pieces. "But you know he'll always be your daddy, right? He said so."

Alli was frowning, but not going into full meltdown-mode, so that was progress.

"But what if he doesn't have enough love left for me?" Alli's lower lip quivered.

Zoe crouched to wrap her in a hug. "Oh baby, that's not how it works. The baby won't take your love. It will come with so much extra that there will be even more to go around. That's why your dad was so happy to share the news with you."

Alli's lip stilled, but she didn't seem sold on the idea yet, so Zoe kept going. "You're going to be a big sister. You know how you have so much fun with Anton and Yuuta?"

Alli nodded.

"Well, having a brother or sister will be like that, just you'll have your playmate all the time." Not that she would know, but based on the stories Raph had told her, it sounded like growing up in a family with siblings was a lot of fun. Annoying as hell too, but she decided against mentioning that.

Alli was grinning now as she warmed up to the idea of having an all-the-time friend.

"So how about some waffles?"

It was almost a rhetorical question as Anton was over halfway through with his. She handed Alli a fork and watched as the excited little girl speared the largest piece and lifted it to her mouth, dripping syrup onto the table.

Then a spear of grief shot through her, so intense it momentarily took her breath away, shooting straight through from her bond with Raph. Not good.

He moved silently into the kitchen behind her, though she could sense him there, even before his arms closed around her.

Her heart clenched at the words he whispered into her ear.

"The odds ain't so good for the baby or for Denim either if she's gonna try."

TSOTCTSOTC

As soon as her arms were free, Phoenix fled the bathroom to Leo and Karai's bedroom, to find Denim sitting on the bed, looking filled with consternation.

"Denim?" she said gently, her chest clenching at the sight of the young woman. How pregnant was she? Had she had any other symptoms other than vomiting? "Are you alright?"

The relief of telling Mikey was short lived as Denim sobered more with every passing moment. He was ecstatic, which didn't really surprise her, and he was alive, unlike Kyle within thirty minutes of her having told him. So those were two good things.

But Mikey, her heart, her ever-glowing light was about to be crushed. Her stomach flipped and she pressed her fingers to her mouth.

"The doctor told me and I didn't believe her," she said staring at the carpet. Her gaze shifted to Phoenix. "I didn't believe her. So when we filled my prescription I bought three tests." She motioned toward the plastic bag near her feet. "They were all positive. I uh, I didn't b-b-believe her- the doctor. So I made her discharge me. She wanted me to see a specialist, but I threw the card away."

Denim's breaths quickened, the fingers she kept drawing to her mouth trembling. She chewed on the nail of her index as her leg began to thump up and down in a jittery rhythm. "I shouldn't," tears rushed her eyes. "I shouldn't have told him because he's so happy. The doctor said there's a ninety-percent chance of miscarriage. Phoenix, there's nothing I hate more than a sad Michelangelo."

Phoenix took her hand, sending the little golden ants into Denim's body, instructing them to calm her. She chuckled, "A sad Michelangelo is worse than any other kind of Michelangelo," she agreed. She took another deep breath, scooting a little closer to the young woman, smiling reassuringly. "And there is a very high chance of miscarriage. But you're very lucky," she winked. "You've run into me." She pulled Denim to her gently, giving her the option to pull away. "Did the doctor tell you anything else?"

Wisps of red hair slipped in Denims face as she lowered her head to Phoenix's shoulder. She was so tired. "No. I kind of demanded they discharge me. They made me sign papers saying I was leaving against medical advice and they hadn't finished evaluating me."

"Sounds about right." The older woman stroked her hair, putting her head against Denim's. "Did you have any inklings you were pregnant before now?" _Please let her say no,_ Phoenix thought. The less poor symptoms, the better the chance of less complications. She held back a snort. _Less complications._

Her stomach churned and she drew a hand to her mouth, taking a few breaths in an effort to quell the nausea. "I swear everything was normal before last night. I just thought I had too much to drink. And I would never drink if I'd known."

"I think one night of drinking won't be a problem." Phoenix pulled her away slightly. "But..." her voice trailed off. "There are other things we need to watch out for." She hated this conversation. No matter how many times she had it, albeit she hadn't had it very often, it was always hard for her to have. For more reasons that just the medical ones. _It's not about you, Phoebe,_ she reminded herself.

"Well one night of drinking sent my body into full on freak out mode," Denim complained, "and it doesn't seem to know how to stop." Stomach acid burned the back of her throat and she straightened in an effort to escape it. What had Phoenix just said? She stopped wiggling and looked at Michelangelo's mother. "What kind of things?"

Phoenix drew her pale eyebrows together. "DNA is a funny thing." She squeezed Denim's shoulder. "It does funny things. Mutagen infected DNA does even funnier things." The golden tingling had stopped, and she wasn't entirely sure she'd done any good, for either Denim's mood or her physical ailments. Telling her this wasn't going to help. "And the fetus you're carrying has mutagen infected DNA."

Unusual energy seeped throughout Denim, unclenching the ball that was her gut. Each muscle fell slack like an untangled knot leaving her relaxed as if she'd had an incredible massage. "Oh," she murmured, "that's strange."

"That DNA is a funny thing?" Phoenix asked. "Scientists have known that for ages."

Denim giggled. "No, I mean, the nausea, it- my body- I feel like I just had a visit to the spa instead of hurling up my guts." Her eyes widened. "I feel like I could eat, or drink, I don't even feel hungover! I could take a shower!"

Phoenix turned her head slightly, as if examining her with a skeptical eye. "Splinter?" she called toward the door. "Could you bring us some water, please?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "Denim, you need to understand what being pregnant with a mutant's baby means."

"But I'm feeling better. Maybe it's all a mistake. It could be a mistake. Right?" Denim let out a nervous laugh. "I mean what are the chances that a doctor, and three tests are wrong? I told that doctor it was alcohol poisoning."

Denim stood up quickly, causing black spots to form before her eyes, as a sinking sensation beckoned from the back of her head. She dropped her butt right back on the bed. "Fuck, I am so screwed aren't I?"

"You were already screwed, would be my guess," Phoenix said with a smile. "That's how you got in this predicament in the first place."

Denim stared at Phoenix, odd fractions of seconds hanging in the air. The corners of her mouth twitched and a great tide rolled through her. She laughed, loud and hard before reaching for Phoenix, pulling her into a hug as she burst into tears.

Phoenix held her tight, "Oh sweetheart," she crooned.

Splinter appeared with a cup of tea in his hands, the scent reminiscent of flowers. He said nothing, simply put the cup on the bedside table, gave Phoenix a knowing look, and left the room.

"Denim," Phoenix continued. "What happening to you is wonderful, and important. But it is also dangerous. Not haters throwing rocks at you dangerous. You or the baby dying dangerous." She stroked her hair, as if that would make the words less hurtful or scary. "We need to figure own how pregnant you are, and we have to keep very close track of you. Most of these pregnancies don't make it to term. The fetus isn't viable." She gave her another squeeze. "We want to make sure your baby is viable. I can help with that, if you want." She took a deep breath, and said the words she hated. "Or you can go to a specialist." Then she said the words that made her feel a little better, but only because she had some control of subject. "Or Donnie can take care of you."

Denim sniffled and lifted her head from Phoenix's shoulder. Mikey's mom. A specialist. Or his brother. Family or strangers. The latter sent a shiver down her spine. How could she trust anyone she didn't know with something so precious? She and Mikey had endured so much hate together it made her weary of even those who proclaimed their support.

"You, can I have you and Donnie both?"

Phoenix gave her a compassionate look. "Donatello and I don't always see eye to eye on medical issues," she explained. "In fact, we tend to steer clear of each other when it comes to this kind of thing. But, I imagine that we'd be able to put our differences aside for you." She cupped Denim's cheeks. "I'm usually more right, quicker than he is, though," she whispered. "But he comes around to my way of thinking, eventually." She glanced over at the tea cup. "Go ahead and drink something," she said. "We can sit everyone down and decide what is happening, and then you can take a shower and eat." She released the young woman. "How does that sound?"

Denim's head bobbed as she reached for the cup. "Good, as long as we can fit a nap in there somewhere. Last night was exhausting."

TSOTCTSOTC

Donnie watched in gratitude as Zoe led the children off to the kitchen. This was not going to be easy. At least with Raph and Zoe he could honestly say he had no idea what would happen, which while disconcerting was not actively distressing. He hated to be the one to crush Mikey's excitement and having an audience didn't really help.

Medusa was still piled up on the floor, pretending to get some more sleep, and Aries had settled himself back into the recliner, shoveling in a large plateful of scrambled eggs. Raph leaned up against the wall, waiting, clearly just as interested in the answer to Mikey's question as Mikey was, but working hard not to show it. Leo and Karai stood together near the entrance to the kitchen, Karai with her coffee and Leo with his tea, both angled in as though speaking to each other, despite being completely silent. Everyone was listening in and pretending not to. Somehow Donnie felt this conversation should be more private, but he couldn't think of a graceful way to do it.

To make matters worse, his father slipped into the living room from the kitchen holding a fresh cup of steaming tea, probably escaping what would soon be a sticky mess with all three kids in the kitchen. And he couldn't fault Sensei's interest in his newest grandchild. He only wished that he had better news.

To his relief, his father's ears turned towards some unheard sound in hallway. Swiftly and silently he exited the room towards the bedrooms. Thank goodness for small favors. That still left him with the question of where to start.

"So what's the baby gonna be?" Mikey looked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Well, just like whether or not the baby is a boy or a girl, I don't know. It depends on the exact combination of genetic material from you and Denim, which is not something I'm able to evaluate at this point." He watched Mikey's eyes glaze over as he spoke, knowing that he was intentionally falling into a pattern of shrouding his message in more complicated speech to avoid his brother's understanding. But that would defeat the entire purpose of this conversation.

Taking a deep breath, he tried again. "I don't know yet Mikey. Give it some time and I'll be able to tell you more with an ultrasound. It would be better if the baby was more human than turtle though."

Mikey looked puzzled and Raph frowned from where he was pretending not to watch. "Why does it matter?"

Donnie steeled himself for what was likely to be a bad reaction. Given a choice, he'd rather deal with Raph's rage than Mikey's hurt. There was something in his little brother's pain that ached the soul long afterwards. "This is going to be hard for you to hear, but Denim's pregnancy is very dangerous for both her and the baby."

Mikey blinked, trying to process that. "I don't understand. Why? I mean Zoe and Raph were fine and what about mom and dad?"

He sighed. "Fine might be stretching it for Zoe and Raph and with Yuuta...there's more to that than you know, but neither case applies to this one. Zoe and mom aren't human."

Mikey frowned. "Why does that matter?"

Donnie considered his words carefully. "Until recently, humans and mutants weren't even compatible enough for pregnancies to happen, but mutations produced by Kraang mutagen aren't entirely stable. I mean it is relative to the initial change upon contact, but it small, subtle ways we are continuing to evolve. That said, we are still highly incompatible with humans, despite being partly human."

He watched Mikey struggle with that and wondered if he should have made it simpler. He thought he had dumbed it down, but he could never really tell until after he said something. Maybe it would be better if he just kept going.

"In the documented cases of human-mutant pregnancy, the statistics are...not good. There is a very real risk of mutagenic transfer that could permanently alter Denim's DNA in unpredictable ways and with the baby being so different from herself, her body will likely treat its presence as a foreign invader, like an infection. The most likely scenario is that she will lose the baby as her body fights its existence, but in the unlikely case that she doesn't, her body will essentially be at war with itself for the duration of the pregnancy which poses a significant threat to her health and her life. Mutant mothers of these children fare better as the mutations tend to make us more physically resilient and adaptable than human beings, but even for them it is dangerous. The more turtle than human the baby is, the more complications there are likely to be, even setting aside the difficulty of giving birth to a child with a shell. You remember how hard that was on Zoe right. Denim would almost certainly need a C-section and having such an invasive surgery while her body is in such a compromised state after months of battling itself over the pregnancy..."

He trailed off as Mikey stared blankly at him, either not processing what he was saying or not wanting to. Raph got it though. He'd seen his brother toss what was left of his bacon strip into the trash and stagger towards the kitchen as he spoke. Donnie's heart went out to him. This was painful for him to say, but still he could only imagine. As a father, Raph, who already had a tendency to feel things more profoundly than he ever let on, would likely be able to experience that pain on a whole other level.

"What are you saying, D?" Mikey's voice was unusually quiet.

He decided to put it as bluntly as possible. "She's probably going to lose the baby and even is she doesn't they both might not survive this."

Mikey started to shake and tears welled in his eyes, breaking Don's heart. Why did he have to be the one to tell him?

"But they're gonna be ok right?" Mikey's lower lip quivered.

He swallowed hard, wishing that he could lie and make it better. "Mikey..."

"Because we're different than everyone else. We have mom and she's magic. She can make anything better." Mikey's voice held a pleading tone to it that, from most of their childhood, he remembered Mikey using whenever her really, really wanted something.

"And we've got you. You can do anything D. I've seen it. You've cracked computer systems of aliens from another dimension in minutes. You figured out how to make retromutagen. You made Mr. O'Neil's van cool. You can do this too. Please." Mikey's eyes were large and glistening, the puppy dog expression that was nigh impossible to refuse.

They'd once brought an enormous, violently unstable, predator into their home because he'd begged with that expression. Although in the long run, Mikey had turned out to be right about Leatherhead as he had about so many other things. Maybe he was right now too. Donnie desperately wanted him to be right. He wanted to believe like Mikey. Surely between himself and mother they could save his sister and unborn niece or nephew. As difficult as it was to work with her, not least of all because of how frustratingly often she was right with no rigorous procedure or proof, they could and would set aside those difference and make this happen. Somehow.

"Yes. I promise." The words were out of his mouth before he even had time to consider them.

Mikey gathered him up in a bone crushing hug that might have been a problem if his turtle DNA hadn't enabled him to go an unusually long time without breathing. Then Mikey was gone rushing back to where Denim waited. As he watched his little brother go, he hoped that he hadn't just given him false hope. If he failed now, it would make everything so much worse.

TSOTCTSOTC

In his hurry to get back to Denim and let her know that everything would be ok, he almost bowled over his dad. But Sensei being Sensei stepped aside with nigh impossible speed so that Mikey collided with only empty air as he skidded to a halt. He could feel his father's hand rest tenderly on the ridge of his shell, speaking comfort without words.

Choking back tears, Mikey answered. "It's gonna be ok. Mom and Donnie are gonna make it ok."

"Take heart my son."

He managed a smile and a nod at his father's words, before continuing on where his mother stood outside the bedroom, seemingly lost in thought. Sensing him approach, she shook off her thoughts and immediately pulled him into a hug. Relishing the maternal affection he'd craved all his life, he sank into her and allowed the gesture to sooth him. Everything would be ok, because their wasn't anything his mom and brother couldn't do. They'd make it right and life would go back to being wonderful.

Phoenix released him, giving him a tired smile. "She's resting. Go quietly."

He nodded and slipped into the bedroom, taking a moment to appreciate the steady rise and fall of Denim's chest. She looked so peaceful as she slept. He couldn't help staring as he so often did whenever he woke up before her or she fell asleep first. Employing years of stealth training, he slipped into bed with her, managing to snuggle close without waking her. Inhaling her scent as he nestled his face in the crook of her neck, he rested a hand on her abdomen. No way was he gonna lose either of them.


	18. Chapter 17

TSOTCTSOTC

As if of one mind, Phoenix and Splinter slipped into their bedroom across from Leo and Karai's, as everyone else was occupied with discussion, babysitting, or sleeping. Splinter closed the door behind them without even a click of the knob, before turning to his wife with is white eyebrows raised.

"Denim wants Donnie and I to help her," Phoenix sounded defeated.

"That is a reasonable request," Splinter replied, knowing full well that his most intelligent son was the one who had the most difficult time getting along with his mother. That had originally surprised Splinter, their lines of knowledge intersected on so many levels and subjects that one would assume they would have gotten along famously. If they were conversing about anything in theory, they did. They agreed or disagreed, attempting to convince the other of a different point of view using logic and lines of proof. When it came to practice, however, they butted heads. Donatello's desire for pure scientific facts, for numbers and formulas, was thoroughly thwarted by The Phoenix's intuition, charisma, and seemingly magical ability to heal people. Phoenix, for her part, would be infuriated at her son's lack of faith in her abilities, seeing it as a slight of the years of hard work she had put in to become a folk healer to those who had no medical outlets at all.

"I know it is," she sat down on the bed. "Yoshi, I don't think she wants to understand what is going on."

He sat next to her, wrapping an arm about her shoulders and drawing her to him. She buried her head in his chest, wiggling her face his fur. "I foresee that being a problem for both her and Michelangelo," he sighed. Then, he placed a finger under her chin and lifted her head to look her in the eyes. "We may need to be brutally honest with them."

Phoenix's cheeks began to redden and she bit her lip, but she didn't look away. That was one of the things Splinter admired about her, while she might greatly dislike what was presented to her, she did not deny that it was there. She might try to circumnavigate it, but she did not tend to dwell in denial. "Michelangelo was there for the whole pregnancy, Splinter-"

"-and Donatello is the only one who suspected anything was wrong," Splinter finished for her. He smiled. "There is no shame in wanting something, Phoebe."

She moved her chin from his finger and buried her head in his chest again. "No," she agreed. _Not when you've already been punished for getting it._

TSOTCTSOTC

"Do you think she won't try?" Zoe frowned, placing her hands over Raph's arms. She leaned against him a bit, inhaling his scent, the woodsy wild cedar that warmed her insides. The eerie silence that hung over the living room wouldn't let her find comfort though. Not when she knew it was full of somber family members, a normally loud bunch at that.

"No, she will." Raph assured her. "If I know anything about Denim at all, it's that she's as stubborn as any one of us."

There was even a lack of snarky comments from a solemn faced Karai who slipped by them to refill her mug. She splashed hot coffee on her hand, hissing amid her curse. "Damn-it!" She slammed the cup down on the counter only spilling more of it.

The kids all stopped eating, Yuuta even letting out a little squeak.

"Ahem," Raph cleared his throat. Zoe glanced up to find him motioning from Karai to the kids with his eyes.

Karai scowled. "As if you can talk." She glared at the kids. "Don't stare at me. Eat!"

Three little faces turned back toward their plates.

"Really, Karai?" Raph scolded her.

"Yes, _really_ , Raphael."

Leo appeared in the doorway, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her onto the balcony, hissing and spitting all the way. Karai had a hard time dealing with things on the regular, although she had very few weaknesses an enemy could use against her in an actual fight. Her father and Leo topped that list. Although she'd never admit it, Zoe knew that she and Michelangelo tied for a close second.

"She's just tired," Zoe reassured the kids. She squeezed Raph's hand and he released her. Turning to face him she wasn't entirely prepared for the grief in his emerald eyes. "That bad?"

His gaze shifted toward the back of Alli's head. "Yeah."

"Is Mikey-"

Raph's eyes brimmed and he looked away. She stepped away from him, turned and busied herself cleaning up Karai's mess. "I think we should get ready to go to the dojo."

"Uh, Mom-" Anton began.

"I know, baby."

She knew Raph was gone the second she turned her back.

"Antonello," she said, gathering empty plates from the table. "I think we should tour Alli's school when we drop her off this morning. Maybe see about getting you enrolled in kindergarten. Something tells me Grandmere is going to be too busy to watch you as often as she does now."

Anton cast suspicious eyes on his mother. "What if I don' like it?"

Zoe, placing the dishes in the sink, glanced at her son, one eyebrow popped up in warning. "Antonello, you will try very hard to like it, do you understand?"

Anton's mouth scrunched up, his lip rising in a sneer that fell as he grumbled. "Fine."

TSOTCTSOTC

Arcos unwedged himself from April's too small vehicle before she could get it fully into park. The ride to his parent's place with her now counted among his most claustrophobic experiences ever.

He'd been surprised when she'd just materialized behind him several moments after the Kraang-but-not-Kraang woman had ridden off, distracted by trying to figure out exactly what had just happened. It turned out April had sensed, in that way she did, the fight, it being so near to her and Don's place that she'd taken a very ballsy risk, coming out to investigate. Donnie was going to freak-the-fuck-out when he found out about it, but April always did what she thought she needed to, regardless of whether or not it was safe.

The one thing he did know about the fight was that he needed to tell his family what had happened. Taking the stairs almost a flight at a time, he quickly left April, not entirely recovered from her earlier encounter, in his dust as he raced up to the apartment. She'd catch up and this apartment building was safe.

His parents rarely locked the door. Someone was almost always home and if anyone was stupid enough to break in, they'd learn very quickly what a poor choice of marks they'd made. So he went for the handle, feeling it turn almost before he moved it. The door pulled in almost too fast for the push he'd given it, but, being in a hurry, he paid it no mind and barreled into the apartment, until something hard and heavy collided with and rebounded off his chest. Not heavy enough to compete with his weight. He looked down to a dazed Raph on the floor.

Raph glared up at him. "What the shell, man?"

Arcos blinked. Where was he going? Were Zoe and Anton not here? Concerned he offered Raph a hand back to his feet, not necessary but a peace-offering gesture nonetheless.

Raph looked around the room as though daring anyone to say anything about his shell-flop before turning back to Arcos. "Thought ya bailed?"

Arcos bristled. "No, I...needed some air." Raph of all people should understand that.

Raph raised an eye ridge. "And yer here now ta tell us how peachy ya are?"

He sighed. "No. Where's Leo?"

Raph inclined his head towards the balcony, where he could make out the silhouettes of Leo and Karai beyond the curtain.

"Is that blood?" Donnie's question pulled his attention away from the window and he lifted his paw, still tacky with the woman's blood, a few fake nails stuck to the drying fluid.

"I...found the person who killed our captive." That caught everyone's attention.

Raph crossed his arms over his chest. "And what? Are they outta the picture?" Raph gestured towards his paw.

He shook his head. "No she got away."

Then Raph reached out and plucked one of the nails off his hand, pulling something out of his belt pouch to compare it against. "Damn."

Arcos looked down and realized that Raph was holding a matching nail. "How?"

Raph scowled. "Whoever ended Sean, also took 'em down at the club when he had Z. What's her beef with him?"

"Don't make assumptions, Raph." Donnie started into deduction-mode. "Sean wasn't the only common denominator at each of those altercations. Our family was also present in both cases."

Raph snorted. "But she was attackin' him, not us. So she was after him."

"I don't think so." April stepped around Arcos to get into the apartment, casting him an annoyed, sidelong glance as she did so.

"One of your feelings?" Medusa asked as the room focused on April, who nodded grimly. One thing they'd all learned over the years, was that April's 'feelings' were not to be ignored.

Raph's mood darkened. "Why then?"

Arcos looked down at his bloody paw again. "She wasn't...normal."

"You don't say?" Aries voice was laced thick with sarcasm.

Arcos didn't react to his brother at all. "I thought that she was a Kraangdroid, but..." He trailed off.

"...Kraangdroid's don't bleed." Donnie finished for him.

"It smells human." Arcos added, knowing that the piece did not fit with the forming puzzle. "I don't know what she was. And I don't know what someone like that would be doing after a relatively ordinary dick like Sean." Their family was much more likely to draw that kind of trouble.

"Zoe?" April stepped forward and they all turned to see Zoe at the entrance to the kitchen, shaking her face, white as a sheet. Raph immediately went to her, grabbed her hand and led her into the hallway.

Medusa sighed. "I'll keep an eye on the kids then." With that she slithered off towards the kitchen.

"Donnie, take a sample of that blood." Arcos jumped at the sound of Leo's voice. When had he come in. Leo could move so silently it was scary sometimes.

"Right. I'll see what I can find out about it." Don pulled out a small, plastic vial from his belt as he spoke and uncorked it.

"You just carry stuff like that around all the time? You know that's creepy, right?" Aries questioned.

Don focused on using the cap to scraped some of the blood from Arcos's claws into the vial. "You know they're not specifically designed to hold blood. They're actually quite handy for collecting all kinds of samples.

Aries rolled his eyes. "Nerd."

As much as Arcos wanted to head to the bathroom to wash the blood away, he was reluctant to interrupt Raph and Zoe, so he continued to awkwardly stand just in front of the door.

Donnie tucked the sample away and returned to the couch where April had flopped down when it became apparent that she wouldn't be the one to comfort whatever was wrong with Zoe. April groaned in relief as Don started rubbing her temples. "You should have stayed home and gotten more rest."

She frowned and shook her head. "No. Something is wrong."

Arcos watched everyone avert their eyes as she looked around the room questioningly. Finally, she settled on Donnie and he squirmed under her scrutiny before breaking.

"Denim is pregnant with Mikey's baby and...I kind of promised him that I'd make sure everything would be ok."

April's eyes widened. "Oh, Donnie..."

Arcos absorbed the news with numb shock. Back when he'd thought things were becoming serious with Jennifer, he'd looked into it a little bit and what he'd read had scared him. He closed his eyes against the pain as all that knowledge came surging back to haunt him. Of all people, why'd it have to be his most ebullient brother? What was going to happen to Mikey if that promise ended up broken? The thought was almost more than he could bear.

TSOTCTSOTC

"What's with the yanking me around, Leo?" Karai eyed his hand around her bicep, which he released.

She crossed her arms, then turned her torso away toward the balcony railing. He didn't answer at first, just stared at her and waited.

Damn him. Fighting would hurt less than his silence.

The lump in her throat ached, but the heat behind her eyes had better fuck off because she was done crying over something she couldn't change.

"Karai-"

"Don't. Just. Don't." She managed her warning while keep her emotions in check, but barely so.

Damn kids. Damn science, and biology, and- just - damn. Her fingernails dug into her own skin, and she squeezed trying to force out the pain.

What were the chances this would work out for a mutant and a human, when it didn't work for two mutants? Either Denim or the baby, or both would die and Mikey would be crushed.

Why had Donatello promised him? That was false hope and everyone knew it, but Mikey wouldn't face it because of those two words. He'd cling to them, resting all his hopes on his brother, their mother, and his mate. That lie. Why, Donnie? "It would be better if he just got used to the idea now. Braced for it. He's going to be devastated."

Leo didn't say anything, just let out a small sigh that annoyed her. She wheeled on him, jabbed a finger in his plastron that quickly curled into a fist. There was a snap of relief when her knuckles crashed against his scuffed plastron, again, then again.

He didn't move a fraction and made no attempt to stop her. It was the rainfall blurring her eyes that she detested, the splash of red smeared over his chest plates of no concern to her at all. Then three green fingers closed over her wrist, holding it from following through.

Her chest shuddered and he yanked her to him, holding her tight even as she struggled and tried again to hit him.

When it first happened to them he'd told her they'd try again. When it happened the second time she'd thought she was seeing her own death in his eyes and vowed they'd never go through it again. But there they were, about to watch their beloved little brother, their innocent, optimistic light of a brother, experience a hurt that damn near brought Fearless himself to his knees. Of course only Phoenix and their father knew anything of it.

She stopped struggling, buried her head in his shoulder and clung to him. "I can't watch this, Leo. I just can't."

He rubbed small circles on her back, kissed her hair, then pressed his lips to her ear. "I know it hurts. I hurt too, but Mikey and Denim need us. Are you really not going to be there for them?"

Of course she would be, even if it hurt like she was being filleted. She sniffled, straightened and pulled herself free of him. She wiped her eyes and smoothed out her shirt as she squared her shoulders. "Go back inside. Find out what we can do to help. I just need a minute."

He reached for the door when she added. "And if you let anyone know about this girly bullshit I just pulled, I will neuter you."

Leo's head tilted in her direction, the corners of his mouth drawing back. "I'd expect nothing less. But Karai-"

She glanced at him in her periphery.

"I'd suffer a thousand deaths if it gave you want you wanted in the end. So if you ever change your mind-"

She kept her eyes on the skyline, the morning breeze soothing the burn of tears from her cheeks. "I don't want that. Not anymore. It hurts too much."

He sighed. "What if it's what I want too?"

She closed her eyes, seeking peace from the sun warming her eyelids. "I need you to drop this, Leo. It's not meant for us to have. Just like it won't work for them."

"I love you," he whispered.

She inhaled deep, let the words seep into her, balm over most of the spots that hurt, but a knife reopening the scar covering the subject matter.

"I know, Leo. I love you, too. Now go, before I decide to hurt you."

But as he shut the door behind him she wondered if she just had.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim awoke to the familiar comforting scent of Mikey. She couldn't stop the smile on her face, finding his arm draped around her, his hand cradling her abdomen. Her insides fluttered as she snuggled backward, pressing herself closer to him. His breaths came and went a steady rhythm against her neck that changed as she moved around.

"How are you feeling now?" He whispered against her throat.

Her heart skipped beats, little thrills coursing through her. Checking in with herself she felt much better. "I'm fine, just sorry I caused such a fuss." She reached out for Leo and Karai's alarm clock and saw the time. "Oh, Mikey! We're going to be late dropping Alli off!"

After struggling with a blanket, she didn't remember pulling over her, she pushed herself upright and the entire room evaporated to a black mass with a tiny fading light at the center of it.

"Whoa, slow down, Blue Jeans." Mikey steadied her. She leaned against him, grateful as the world blurred into focus again. "Did Mom get a good look at you last night?"

She frowned. "Not really. We talked. But I was still pretty messed up. I just don't get it. I was fine, perfectly normal until last night. And then, hey I'm losing my guts, and people and tests are telling me crazy stuff." Denim glanced down to where his hand was still resting against her, hadn't moved at all.

He was staring at her in the way that made her cheeks heat, only there was a smile on his face as wide as Texas, his eyes bright as stars. She could see all of that in her periphery and as incredible as that felt, she couldn't deny her fears.

"I'm so excit-"

"Mikey, we have to get Alli ready for daycare. It's our only day off together and we're supposed to look for apartments." She adjusted her pressure point wristbands, noting she shouldn't have slept in them because they left little bruises that hurt.

He guided her around to face him. "Baby. We're having a baby and we're going to be happy about it. No matter what anyone says, if it's what you want, and it's soooo what I want, then we're going to be pumped about it, right?"

Without waiting for her answer he gathered her in his arms, squeezing her a little too tight. "Besides there's nothing to worry about, Mom and Donnie have got this. It's going to be awesome, you'll see."

It was hard for Denim to breathe, not because his arms were around her, his grip firm like he could hold everything in place; but to look in those big blue saucers of his, glistening with pure joy paired with the honest upturn of his mouth, she wanted to give him everything and anything he wanted. And yes, she wanted their baby too. But the knot in the pit of her stomach prevented her from diving into the air the way Mikey would, in a trusting free fall, believing everything would just be all right.

"Mikey..." She began but wasn't sure where she was headed.

"Baby." He beamed. "Blue Jeans, a _baby_. It's too awesome for words. We totally have to find a place today. Maybe we should look at three bedrooms."

"Three? Mikey we aren't even sure we can afford two. This is New York remember?" She wiggled free of his grasp, or at least she thought she had. The second her feet hit the floor he tugged her back in the bed, inching her borrowed dress up to reveal her thong and expose her belly.

He hovered over her, grinning as he placed little kisses against her skin. "Helloooo in there. I'm your dad. I'll be the cool parent, not that your mom's not awesome because she's giving me you which is totes incredibs, but let's face it, she doesn't like messes, she's always on time, and she keeps trying to squirm like she's actually gonna get away from me." He chuckled and the sensation of his lips against her skin sent shockwaves through her. "Your mom's the cutest isn't she?" He slid his fingers along Denim's sides, tickling her until she was laughing so hard her eyes were wet.

"Oh my gosh, Mikey, stop!" She gasped for breath. "Alli is going to be late, and I still have to shower, and-"

He shifted toward her face so quick his mouth was against hers before she could get another word out. He kissed her long, sweet, and softer than ever before. How she wished everything would for once be easy for them, no one deserved what they wanted more than Mikey.

"I love you, Denim. Alli will get to daycare when she gets there. And you and me are gonna find our home today. Now come on, quit rolling around in bed and let's go eat something."

Denim scoffed. "Me? I've been trying to get out of bed for the last fifteen minutes!"

Mikey rolled to his side, guiding her along so she rested on top of him, but she noted how slowly he did, compared to how he usually flipped her around. "Are you trying to seduce me, Blue Jeans?"

Denim laughed. "I'm trying to get out of this bed, get a shower, and get Alli to daycare. I don't know what you're up to."

He brushed her hair away from her face, weaving his fingers through her coppery locks. "Kiss me and I'll think about letting the two of you go."

She couldn't resist those eyes if she tried, but then she didn't have any desire to anyway. Yet just as their lips touched a knock rattled the door.

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe was collecting dirty glasses from the kids. Breakfast was near over so she hoped the others could wrap up all serious talk before she had nothing left to entertain the youngsters with.

She placed Yuuta's cup in the sink and heard giggling behind her. As she turned to investigate the cause she could hear Alli but did not readily see her. Yuuta was standing up in his chair, looking at the floor while Anton chewed on a piece of bacon like it was beef jerky.

A glance under the table showed the little girl who admittedly was a perfect little replica of her mother, red hair and big blue eyes. But she was beginning to imitate Mikey's facial expressions, which Zoe found amusing.

"What are you doing under there, Alli?" She pulled one chair out from the table and knelt to talk to her.

Allison grinned. "I'm not Alli, I'm Sewer Girl."

Zoe's eyebrows shot up. "Really, now. Well what are you doing under the table, uh, Sewer Girl?"

Above the table Anton let out an exasperated sigh, then stuck his head under. "She's not under the table, Mom. She's in the sewer."

Alli looked to Anton revealing the back of her sleep tangled hair to Zoe. She made a mental note that she needed to get her ready for daycare, not to mention volunteer her services of taking her in the first place. At the moment though, she chose to play along. "What does Sewer Girl do?"

"Attack!" Alli exclaimed, grabbing the sides of Anton's face and proceeding to lick him.

"Gross, Mom get her off!" Anton protested, squirming but not really trying to get away. "Get her off!"

Yuuta slipped under the table and wrapped his furry arms around Alli's waist, tugging on her. But the frail human child was now gripping Anton by the neck, laughing as she dragged her little pink tongue over the side of his face.

"Yuck! Mom, she's got syrup on her fingers and it's sticky. Get her off already!"

Yuuta let out a squeak, then with a final tug he and Alli fell toward Zoe. She dropped back on her haunches only to be bowled over by the tumbleweed of kids.

"Okay," she laughed, "okay, it's time to get ready to go."

But Alli wasn't listening and tried to lick Yuuta's furry cheek. The giggling tot found that distasteful, her face puckering and her tongue bobbing in an out to get the fur out of her mouth.

"Well that's the end of that." Zoe laughed.

Allison bared her teeth, raising her fingers like she was a monster. "I will EAT you!" She announced, lunging for Yuuta.

The rat pups head whipped toward Zoe, with pleading eyes. As Alli opened her mouth over his arm he let out a sharp squeak.

"Alli, no!" Zoe reached down, tugging the child away with one hand while examining Yuuta's arm with her other. "Alli, you should apologize to Yuuta. We don't bite. Look, he's sad, you hurt him."

Yuuta let his ears droop, dropping his chin toward his chest. As a ninja-in-training he'd taken much worse, often from Antonello. But he seemed to understand what Zoe was doing and helped her out. Alli didn't realize the boys were practicing martial artists. She let out a weary sigh. Mikey should probably put her in classes at the dojo if she was in the family for keeps.

Alli crossed her arms, her lower lip forming a pout. "I don't want to pologize."

Zoe pressed her lips flat in an effort to resist a smirk. Alli certainly fit right in, and it was nice having a little girl around. "But it's the right-"

"You can't bite the new baby like that. Nope." Anton, who'd managed to stay in his seat throughout the second half of the ordeal, interrupted. "Remember, I couldn't tell if yer mom was gonna be there or not. She ain't in my third dream. It was you, an Uncle Mikey, an a baby." Anton stabbed a piece of waffle from Yuuta's plate, and shoveled it in. "Uncle Mikey might not love you as much if you bite the baby."

"Antonello, don't say that. Mikey will love Alli always. He's her dad." But Zoe's stomach was churning as she spoke. She released Alli and Yuuta then grabbed a chair and sat down, trying to stop the increased beating of her heart.

Alli walked over to Anton. "Is the baby a boy, or girl?"

A chunk of waffle rolled around Anton's mouth. He shrugged. "Dunno, all I could see was the blanket and that was yellow." He smiled and his food near fell out. "It had little turtles on it though."

He swallowed then pushed back his chair. "Maybe I'll have another dream and I'll find out!"

Zoe listened to her son going on, and in great detail about something he told her just the night before. Before Denim and Mikey came home. Before Mikey made the announcement. "Oh no."

Why it took her so long to make the connection she couldn't say, except that the whole Mikey, Denim thing came up, she was needed to help out with the kids, and let that be her priority. "Oh no, no, no." She repeated, the panic building inside her.

"You okay, Mom?" Anton asked.

"Put the rest of the dishes in the sink. I have to talk to your father." On trembling legs she somewhat staggered to the living room.

"Zoe?" April called to her.

Raph took one look at her, then was by her side, guiding her into the hall. "What's wrong? Are ya hurt?"

He searched her for some type of injury, but of course there wasn't one. There was however, impending disaster. Her worst nightmare that was her sons actual terror. She stared at Raph's shoulder, the tiny crescent bite mark she'd placed on him on a particularly heated night together. She wanted there to be more nights like that, not like what was coming.

Her voice came out low, nearly inaudible. "Anton's dreams are visions."

Raph's eye ridges snapped together. "What?"

"His dreams-"

"No, I heard what you said." Raph's eyes darted over her. "But what're you sayin'?"

 _"The subject that has been uncooperative has been prepared for that which is called her punishment." The ten Kraangdroids, each holding cattle prods that it had taken to detain her, collectively strapped her to the steel table._

 _Blood trickled from the gash in her scalp, into her eye. Zoe blinked but it only served to spread it around. She couldn't see much out of her other, it was swollen shut. She'd given them a damn good fight, and had the fractured left ankle and right forearm to show for it. She'd do it again given the chance._

 _It wasn't until they stuck the needle in her vein and rolled over an IV full of mutagen that her entire nervous system threatened to collapse._

"Zoe! Z, come on, baby, talk to me. Zo-" Raph blurred into focus, his eyes wide and bright. "Zoe, I'm right here. I got ya, ain't nothing gonna happen to you I promise."

Was he holding her up? She checked in with her legs. His arms were around her, and she was slumped against him. She could hear something too, a voice that wasn't his. What was that sound?

"Me, they're coming for me." It chanted. "Me..."

Me.

Oh.

Her knees bent and she sank farther in his grasp as every piece of the puzzle slipped into its horrible place. Then came the big picture, the clarity. She swallowed hard, her eyes pulling him into sharp lines, beautiful scarred lines that she loved.

"Antonello's dreams are real visions. I dismissed it at first. But he knew Denim was pregnant, had a dream and told me before Mikey announced it. I guess he did get some of my hybrid genes after all." Her lip trembled. "Raph, that means his nightmare-"

"Is real too." Raph held her up, pulled her into a hug so tight she couldn't breathe. "We gotta tell the others." He kissed the top of her head. "But I'll tell ya this right now, Z. I ain't lettin' nobody take ya from me. So don't you worry. We'll stop this shit real quick."

Zoe took a steadying breath and nodded. "I know. We _won't_ let it happen."

He managed a smile, but she could still see the worry in his eyes. That would make him belligerent today. Whatever. She could take it.

"Alright. I'm getting you and Anton to the dojo."

He started to head back into the living room but paused when she shook her head.

"No lock down mode."

He turned to face her again. "What?"

Her stubborn determination was now burning away the fear. "They've always been after me and probably always will be. Just because they're close doesn't mean we stop living."

His eyes widened. "If yer suggesting we act like not nothin's wrong..."

She shook her head. "No. I'm not going back no matter how cautious I have to be or for how long I have to it."

"We." He corrected.

She laughed a little. Sometimes she slipped up, forgetting that she wasn't alone anymore. Not ever again. "We will be cautious. But life goes on. I still want to register Anton for kindergarten at Alli's school."

Raph considered that for a moment before nodding. "Ok. _We_ take Anton to school. Then _we_ go to the dojo. Then _we_ pick him up from school."

She noticed all the emphasis on 'we' in his statement and wondered if Anton really could start the same day. There had to be more bureaucracy than that involved. Well they'd find that out when they got there. Worst case scenario, Anton joined them at the dojo while paperwork was processed or whatever it was that needed doing.

And then she remembered something else. Hurrying to the end of the hall, she knocked on the bedroom door. "Denim?"

"Present and accounted for." Mikey answered, sounding oddly happy, given what Raph had told her. He must have rationalized it into everything being ok because he wanted it to and she wasn't about to burst that bubble.

"Raph and I are going to register Anton for kindergarten. Since we're going that way and you had a rough night, I thought we'd take Alli to preschool too. That okay?"

"Okay? Gods you're a lifesaver. Thank you."

TSOTCTSOTC

"Donnie, I'd like a full report on that blood sample you took from Arcos as soon as possible." Leo's business like attitude grounded them, pulling thoughts back away from what could not be controlled.

Arcos did his best to compartmentalize. He'd been getting better and better at it since Jennifer... _Enough. This isn't about you._ Snapping a lid on that train of thought, he instead focused on his bloody paw and the need to be clean. But it seemed like a bad idea to monopolize the bathroom, even briefly, with the entire family crammed into his parent's two bedroom apartment.

"And I'll need you to run background checks on all the dojo students. I'm instituting that as a policy for admitting any new students from this point on." Leo continued, watching Don swallowed a groan.

"Anything else you'd like me to fill my copious quantities of free time with?" From the look on Don's face, he could tell his brother regretted the words the moment they were out of his mouth.

Leo crossed his arms. "We almost lost Zoe last night because an enemy infiltrated our ranks. I don't plan on risking anyone else, even if it requires shutting down the school."

Don grimaced. They all knew that the family could not afford that.

"I can stop by during classes to see if I pick up anything." April offered, but Don put a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait until tomorrow at least. You're not completely recovered from last night." Donnie turned back to Leo. "I'll get it done."

Leo nodded and April rested her head on Donnie's shoulder. "Don't worry about pushing back the work deadlines. If anything it will make you seem like a real person and not some impossible science deity."

Despite the pall that hung over the morning, Donnie managed to snort out a laugh at that. "Right. Family first. Everything else can wait."

The woman's face from his fight earlier in the morning flashed through Arcos' mind and before he had a chance to think about it, the words were out of his mouth. "Can you send me a copy of the results of the blood analysis too?"

Donnie looked at him quizzically.

He shrugged. "She was strange. I'm curious." True. But was that all? He didn't know.

Donnie sighed and nodded. "Why not?"

Feeling the blood crusting on his hand, Arcos started for the kitchen. Ducking slightly through the archway, he barely sidestepped Medusa darting around the room with lightning speed, chasing three sticky children with a wet rag. The sight lifted his spirits, something sorely needed this morning and, to some extent, in general lately. He dodged his way to the sink, knowing that his sister would have no reservations about plowing him down if he didn't keep on his toes.

He scrubbed the blood away, running the sink to wash as much of the smell down the drain as he could, knowing most of the residents were particularly sensitive to smell. But the trap was still full of cheap fake nails. Mama wasn't going to like that next time she came to use the sink. Pulling the trap out and banging the refuse into the garbage can in the cupboard under the sink, he reflected that the kitchen had been the better choice after all. This way he didn't need to fish the bits of acrylic out to throw them away. That and the acrid sent of urine he'd caught passing the hallway hinted that being in his parent's bathroom right now might border on unbearable. He replaced the trap and turned, leaning back against the sink with a small smile as he watched his sister play with the children.

TSOTCTSOTC

Don drummed his fingers on his leg as he mentally catalogued everything that needed to be done. His workload had just quadrupled. But he'd get it done. He always did.

April stood abruptly and swayed on her feet as he jumped to steady her. "April?"

She grinned. "Shouldn't have gotten up so fast. I just remembered I grabbed you medical kit on my way out. It's in the car."

He blinked. "You what? But how did you kno...nevermind."

She smiled. "I just saw it on my way out the door and something told me to bring it."

He chuckled ruefully. Kraang legacy powers. Useful if maddening.

"I'll be back in a second." As she started to move, he caught her hand in his.

Turning back to Leo, he said "There's something I need out of the car. We'll be right back."

Leo nodded patiently as April cocked an eyebrow at him. "I'm perfectly capable."

He smiled. "I know. Humor me."

She rolled her eyes and pulled him out the door.


	19. Chapter 18

Right as Zoe was about to tell Raph to get Anton ready while she worked on corralling Alli, Denim called to her between giggles. "Uh, Zoe?"

Zoe locked eyes with Raph when she heard Mikey chuckle. Had neither one of them gotten the message? Raph frowned at the door.

"Uh, yeah?" Zoe replied.

"Mikey, stop I'm trying to talk to your sister! Quit! Okay let me up, seriously!" The springs of the mattress creaked, then footsteps shuffled over the carpet. Denim opened the door. Mikey's arms were around her, a big grin on his face as he looked over her shoulder.

To look at Denim, Zoe didn't understand why Mikey couldn't see the dark circles under her eyes, or the slight cast of yellow to her skin. The girl looked like she was still sick. Raph saw it too. He straightened beside her, reached out an took Zoe's hand in his as if he were grateful she hadn't been that sick during her pregnancy. Even if delivery had sucked.

"Hi. Sorry to ask anything after your perfectly timed offer to take Alli to school," Denim fidgeted with a small cloth band around her wrist. "But I really want to take a shower and I don't have anything to wear."

"You can borrow something of mine." Karai called, as she pulled the balcony doors shut. "Help yourself to whatever." She said nothing else, just disappeared into the kitchen.

"Great! You take a shower, Blue Jeans and I'll make you some breakfast." Mikey kissed the top of her head, released her, and took a step toward the hall. "What do you want? We've got toast, rice, applesauce, oh and I made waffles."

Denims eyes widened. "Oh, waffles sound really good! With butter and maple syrup!"

Raph and Zoe looked at each other again. Both of them were going to live in a fantasy world? Oh sweet gods. Somebody put a stop to this. But please don't let it be me.

Zoe feigned a tight lipped smile and allowed Raph to guide her to the side so Mikey and Denim could leave the room. Denim headed for the bathroom and Mikey continued down the hall.

Zoe tipped her head to look at Raph. "Uh, what the hell was that?"

Raph's tone was grim. "Either a hella bad case of denial, or someone messed up and she's not pregn-"

He didn't get to finish before the sound of retching ensued.

"Denial." They said in unison.

Raph sighed. "Come on we need to tell the others they're after you again."

"More importantly, let them know about Anton's visions." Zoe insisted.

As they took their first steps down the hall Splinter and Phoenix's bedroom door opened.

Phoenix popped her head out. "Is she sick again?"

Karai stuck her head around the kitchen entry. "It smells like piss in there. It probably set her off."

TSOTC

"Let's see you handle three toddlers who have to pee at the same time," Phoenix called to her daughter as she wedged by Raph and Zoe to get back to the bathroom to follow Denim. "There wasn't a drop on the floor!"

Denim was full head in the toilet, her body all but rising off of the floor as she tried to throw up. The sound of splashing didn't reach Phoenix's ears, so she presumed that Denim's stomach was empty.

She came over and pulled her hair out of the way, placing her hand on the younger woman's neck and sending the golden ants from her hands into Denim's body, telling them to quell her nausea. "A shower might do you good," she said. "You want me to start it for you?"

Denim looked up at her, blinking rapidly, before sitting up. She swallowed. "No, I feel a lot better now, thank you." She wrinkled her nose. "Did Alli miss the toilet?"

"Alli didn't get the toilet," Phoenix answered. "She got the sink."

Denim looked a little confused, but didn't ask any further questions. "I feel a lot better now," she said again, standing up. "I guess there was just that one more heave inside of me."

Phoenix gave her a hard look, raising one of her pale eyebrows. "Denim, do you know what I do?"

Standing near the tub, Denim drew her pale eyebrows together, as if she were being asked a trick question. "You're a kind of doctor," she ventured.

Phoenix nodded, her suspicions confirmed. "Take a quick shower, dear," she said. "Then come on out and have breakfast. And oh," she stopped with her hand on the knob. "Let the water run a moment first, to wash the pee down the drain."

Denim wrinkled her nose again, and Phoenix laughed as she closed to door to join her husband in the living room.

TSOTCTSOTC

The impromptu cleaning had gradually transitioned into a mock battle of children, led by Anton, versus Medusa, making the kitchen no less treacherous when Karai stepped in. With grace and speed Arcos usually associated with Medusa, she stepped deftly through the chaos as though there were no obstacles at all between her and the coffee machine.

"You should probably save some for Donnie..." Arcos trailed off, his voice stilled by the daggers she glared at him, her jaw clenched against whatever it was she wanted to say as she dumped the last of the coffee into her mug and didn't set it to make another pot. He was not getting involved in that.

"Yaahh!" Mikey had been looking back not forward as he rushed into the kitchen, tripping over Medusa and catching both Alli and Yuuta in his falling tumble as Anton barrel rolled out of the way. He sat up grinning with a happiness that Arcos couldn't wrap his head around. No matter how much faith he had in Donnie's promise, surely he must have some misgivings. Then again this was Mikey. Mikey made his own reality.

"Anyone else got room for more waffles? I'm making some for Denim."

The moment the words were out of his mouth, they all heard retching from the bathroom. With a sigh, Karai pushed her way through the crowded kitchen, employing more force than grace to get to the living room entrance.

From the hall he heard his mother's voice. "Is she sick again?"

"It smells like piss in there. It probably set her off." She cast one last annoyed glance at Mikey mixing up another bowl of batter before stalking back into the living room, shaking her head.

Giving exiting Karai a wide berth, Aries peered into the kitchen and immediately decided that he didn't want to risk entering. "Arcos."

He barely got his paws up in time to catch the dirty dishes his brother was throwing at him.

"Take care of those, will ya?"

Arcos growled at Aries snide order, but his brother was already gone. As he dumped the dishes into the sink, he could hear Raph call to Aries in the living room.

"Hold up. Family meeting."

"What? A few minutes ago you were so eager to get out you tried going through Arcos."

"Plans change."

Water rushing from the sink drowned out whatever else was said as he cleaned the dishes and set them in the dry rack. He was doing this for his mother, not Aries.

By unspoken accord, he and Medusa left the kids to Mikey in the kitchen. They drifted back into the living room as he revealed the secrets of making the perfect waffle to the next generation. No sooner had Arcos stepped into the living room than Donnie and April came in through the front door, carrying what looked like a tackle box.

Donnie scanned the full living room. "Oh shell what now?"

TSOTC

Leo had been mentally preparing himself for his day when Raph called a family meeting. Seeing as that was part of his job, he stood from his spot on the couch, stepped around his father and approached him. "What's going on, Raph?"

Zoe stood beside his brother mumbling, "Remember no lock down mode. No lock down mode."

Well that didn't sound good.

Medusa slithered past him, coming alongside Karai whose gaze was fixed down the hall. He hoped she'd find a mental safe zone that would both bring her some peace and the right frame of mind to support Mikey and Denim. Being the realist Karai was, he suspected she'd be supportive to some degree, but blunt well outside his little brother's happy zone.

Arcos sidled up and grumbled something to Aries who'd reclaimed the armchair.

April and Donnie walked in at the just the right moment. With one look at the family full room his genius brother signed. "Oh shell, what now?"

"Family meeting," Raph repeated.

His mother slipped by the three of them making her way over to sit next to father, but not before making eye contact with Donnie. "We should talk."

Leo noted the single nod of his brother's head. So much rode on Donnie, he hated having to add to that but their family's safety was paramount. He hoped he'd understand.

Raph cleared his throat in what Leo thought sounded like a gruff variation of himself. "First we need ya tell you guys about Anton." Raph paused glancing around the room to ensure he had everyone's attention.

Mention of any of the kids as a starter to a family meeting silenced the room faster than he could draw a sword. The only sounds to be heard at the moment were the laughter of the three children, four if Mikey was counted. Which with his brother's current state of denial, he was. The other sound, the shower running in the bathroom down the hall, ended as Raph looked at Zoe. "Tell them what ya told me."

Zoe inhaled then fixed her gaze on me. "Last night Anton had two dreams. One was a nightmare. The other one where Denim was pregnant. The thing is he told me about that dream _before_ Mikey brought Denim home, _before_ he announced it. Before any of us knew."

"We think his dreams are visions," Raph said. "Zoe's hybrid genes at work we guess. But if they're real we gotta take'm serious. Which means-"

"We have to take his nightmare seriously too." Leo finished for him.

Raph nodded his agreement when Arcos spoke up. "What was the nightmare about?"

Zoe answered Arcos but never looked away from Leo. "That they took me away."

"And that ain't happenin'," Raph growled.

"Who are they?" Medusa asked.

Zoe glanced at Medusa. "You know, we never asked him for a description, but there's only one party who never stops looking for me." Her eyes shot right back to Leo. "But we'll manage. No lockdown mode. I refuse to go on lock-"

Zoe stopped short as Mikey, with Alli hanging on his shell, while Yuuta perched on his right shoulder, and Anton clung to his leg hobbled into the living room, looking around in bewilderment. "Did I miss something?"

Down the hall, Denim emerged from the bathroom, wet hair hanging in a mass of loose waves down her back, wearing a green sundress he recognized as Karai's, although she'd never worn it. As she made her way toward them Leo had to school his face into not reacting. He'd known Denim a year, and never seen her color so... Sallow. The circles under her eyes were so dark she looked as though she'd been punched. How had she deteriorated so much in twenty four hours? Yet the smile on her face seemed genuine... No. There was something in her eyes that flickered then disappeared as her gaze drifted over him and fell on Mikey.

She avoided looking at anyone else and Leo picked up on a tremor in her right hand. She wiped it on the skirt of her dress, as she stood on tiptoe to kiss Mikey's cheek. "I am so ready for your waffles. They smell really good. Did you eat, yet?"

His brother flashed her his mega-watt grin and Leo felt sick. "Nope, I waited for you."

When they turned away from everyone, children still clinging to him, Karai snapped.

"Okay, that is it. All of you are going to stand around watch g this and letting it go-"

Leo darted forward, would've slammed into Raph if he hadn't readily sidestepped, shifting and taking Zoe with him. Leo had a clear path to Karai but Medusa seemed to read his mind and zipped up and around her near stuffing the end of her tail in his beloved's mouth.

TSOTC

"Enough!" Splinter stood up, his deep voice booming through the tiny apartment in a way that rarely happened nowadays. His deep timbre probably rang through the apartments both above, below, and across from them. The room froze, the entire house became deathly silent, even the kitchen.

"No, now's not a good time to go back in there," Mikey's quiet voice drifted into the living room, followed by a soft squeak from Yuuta.

Medusa slowly began to unwind herself from around Karai, who looked, while not contrite, compliant.

Everyone's eyes were glued to the Rat Ninja Master. "Everyone in here," he instructed in his 'you better not say no' voice.

Mikey came to the edge of the kitchen, Denim at his side, holding Alli in her arms. The woman still looked to be a shade of yellow that was unnatural for a person's skin tone, and held onto her little girl tightly. Mikey put his arm about her comfortingly as Anton slipped by him, seemingly not at all phased by his grandfather's outburst, or the tension that now held the room motionless, to stand in between his mother and father. Yuuta walked over to Phoenix, putting one thumb in his mouth and holding his arms up to be lifted. She complied, plopping him on her hip.

"It would appear," Splinter said, "that our family has become a target for those who actively seek out to do us harm." He turned to Mikey and Denim. "It would also appear that Antonello has inherited some of his mother's psychic abilities. He had dreamed of Denim's pregnancy, and he has dreamed of Zoe being abducted." He turned to Zoe and Raph. "I think it prudent that you stay with someone at all times, Zoe," he said. He bent his head, his golden eyes regarding his daughter hard. "At all times."

Zoe let out a small growl, to which Anton gave her a gentle shove.

"The cat," Phoenix said suddenly.

"What?" Raph asked.

"The psychic abilities," she said, looking down at Anton. "They come from the cat. Anton needs a bowl of milk."

"What?" Leo asked, looking at her like she was nuts.

"The Voice," Phoenix explained. "It told me, Anton needs a _bowl_ of milk."

"Cats drink milk out of bowls," Arcos said.

"Only with chocolate," Aries winked at Zoe.

The joke broke the tension slightly, and Splinter let out a sigh. "Go and take Alli to school," he said. "You were going to take Anton also, weren't you?" The rat questioned his parents.

Zoe nodded.

"Go, then," Phoenix agreed. "Or you'll be late."

Yuuta squeaked.

"No," she answered, before the sound had even faded.

"Donatello and Phoebe will stay here with Denim, to decide upon a course of action," Splinter continued, as Zoe went over to Denim to take Ali from her arms. "The rest of you have your day ahead of you, to do with what you will." He then looked at Leo, nodding his head to his son to take over.

TSOTCTSOTC

Knowing that he'd already received his instructions, and that, if there were more, he would be told, Don tuned out whatever Leo was saying to everyone else after Father turned the floor back to him and instead focused on following Mikey, who was pulling Denim back into the kitchen.

When Donnie finally squirmed his way through the crowd of his relatives, all packed like sardines into the living room, to make it to the kitchen, Denim was seated at the table, untangling her daughter's hair by hand as Mikey prepared a waffle for her. Donnie stopped the plate mid-slide on its way to her.

Mikey pouted. "Aww, D."

Don rubbed his temples. "No. Just no." He turned to Denim. "Have you been able to keep any water down?"

She started to answer when Zoe darted in, grabbing up Alli and leaving the kitchen with her, tossing Denim an encouraging wink as she worked a brush through Alli's hair while balancing the child on her hip. "Don't worry. We've got this covered."

Denim gave her a nod of gratitude before returning her attention to Don. "Before I fell asleep, I had a cup of tea. I mostly kept it down, though I think it was the smell of the bathroom more than the tea that was the problem."

Donnie grimaced in sympathy. He hadn't failed to notice mother's solution to the children's potty emergency. The smell still lingered ever so slightly through the rest of the apartment.

"In that case, I think you'd better start with some dry toast."

She sighed and nodded.

"But..."

Whatever Mikey was going to say got cut off when Donnie clapped both hands on this brother's shoulders to be sure he had Mikey's full attention, no easy feat.

"I said that we'd get through this. Not that it would be easy or that it wouldn't suck. I'm going to need your help and so is Denim, so you can't and I repeat CAN'T retreat into some imaginary version of reality where things are the way you want them. Do you understand?"

Mikey's wide blue eyes were glassy and his lower lip quivered, but, to his credit, he kept it together and managed to nod.

Donnie sighed in relief, hoping Mikey could keep this up no matter how much against his nature it went to not use his imagination to shield himself from harsh realities. "Good. Now, dry toast."

As Mikey scurried off to the toaster, he looked back to see Denim's eyes following his brother in concern and had to physically restrain himself from laughing at the absurdity of it. Maybe focusing on Mikey instead of herself would make it easier for her. Time would tell.

Already tired, he pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. "I'm going to need to take some samples to test and determine the best course of action."

Her eyes immediately snapped back to him. "Samples?"

Fortunately, April had made it to the kitchen and was already opening his kit next to him on the table. He pulled Arcos's blood sample from his belt and handed it to her as she passed him his phlebotomy tools.

He gave Denim an encouraging smile while he tied the plastic band around her upper arm. "Don't worry. I've actually gotten pretty good at this. When Zoe first joined us there were...some medical issues that needed working out."

Denim forced a smile and gave him a nod of permission, impressing him with her ability to adapt to the situation, no matter how absurd things were getting. That or she was borrowing some of Mikey's coping mechanisms.

Mikey slipped a plate of toast in front of her and watched her munch on it slowly as they both studiously avoided watching him fill vial after tiny vial with Denim's blood.

After the fourth, he decided he had at least enough for preliminary testing and passed the last vial to April to tuck into the refrigerated compartment in his repurposed tackle box.

Pulling out a plastic cup with a lid, he set it next to Denim. "And, when you're able, I could also use a urine sample."

"Ewww. Really, D?" Mikey's snout wrinkled as he spoke.

Denim chuckled lightly. "It's not as weird as it seems. Doctors were always demanding urine sample from me with Alli."

Mikey still looked at the little cup with distaste. "Science is cray-cray."

Denim turned back to Donnie. "I'll see what I can manage."

He closed up the tackle box. "If you can't now, then just get it to me later."

Mikey picked up the cup, examining it closely. "Uh...how is she supposed to do this? She's a girl."

April snorted back a laugh as she took the cup from him and handed it back to Denim. "I'm not gonna say it's easy, but don't worry. It can be done."

Donnie was relieved to see a genuine smile on Denim's face at April's comment. It suited her better than the creepy, forced happiness she'd been striving for earlier. Maybe things actually would be ok.

TSOTCTSOTC 

"So I just need everyone on high alert for anything suspicious. For the time being I need everyone to check in with me daily..." Leo paused, half expecting Raph to argue, but seeing as Zoe was at risk he didn't, so he continued, "at least until we've pinpointed the threat. We'll be stepping up patrols as well. Hopefully we'll catch a break and find out who and where the risk is coming from."

"We already know who it is," Zoe grumbled, not waiting for a response as she made a dash into the kitchen. She reappeared seconds later with Alli in tow. "Sorry, Leo, but we've got to get her to preschool. Is there anything else, besides the not-lockdown, lockdown?" 

Leo frowned as he glanced around the room at the miserable, disapproving faces. "Just, be extra vigilant and stay in touch with each other. Report anything out of the ordinary. Patrol tonight, let's say… midnight?"

Karai huffed. "Well I'm getting a nap in between now and then." She cracked her knuckles. "But I wouldn't mind the workout."

"I'm in," Zoe said, running a brush through Alli's hair. 

Raph crossed his arms. "No yer not. Are you nuts?" 

Anton imitated his father's body language. "Yeah, Mom. You got nuts?" 

Aries snorted. "That's a good question, Kid. I've wondered that myself at times." 

Raph glared at Aries. "You're askin' for it." 

Zoe rolled her eyes. "I'm going." 

"No, yer not. Who's gonna watch the kids? Huh?" Raph leaned over, shoving his face in Zoe's. "It's not like Mikey's goin' either, he's got stuff goin on and we're more likely to watch Alli than him watch Anton. It's not like Mom can do it, she's helping Mikey too. Everybody's busy, Zoe, so yer stayin' home with the kids. Help Mikey out." 

Zoe finished tying Alli's hair in a ponytail, and gave Raph a hard look. "What if they come for me while I'm at home with the kids? Huh? No. I'm going. Maybe _you_ should stay home and watch the kids."

Raph glared at her. "Zoe-"

"I will watch the children," Splinter volunteered, his eyes on Alli who was staring wide-eyed at Raph.

This was a rare offer as usually Phoenix took care of the children, but she'd remained silent beside Splinter, Yuuta on her lap, her gaze fixed on the goings-on in the kitchen. She guided Yuuta to her spot as she stood, put one hand on Splinter's shoulder, then wove her way around Raph, Zoe, Leo, and Medusa. She came to a stop at the kitchen entry whispering something to it's occupants that Leo wasn't sure he wanted to hear. Instead he chose to stay focused on matters in the living room.

Raph flashed sensei a confused look, but their father didn't explain, his gaze on Alli who, Leo noticed, was frowning. He should probably try to talk to her about why she was upset, but Zoe was already gathering the girl on her hip, a satisfied smirk on her mouth. "Hurry up, Raph. We're going to be late."

Raph's jaw worked as if he were chewing something bitter, but he took Anton's hand and followed Zoe toward the front door. Score one for Zoe, backed by sensei. Raph, zero. Good luck to him trying to change her mind now. If the roles were reversed and someone was after Karai, Leo couldn't say he wouldn't want her to stay home too. No. They needed to resolve this quickly. 

"I can't patrol tonight. I'm on shift at La Vida Loca," Aries shrugged. "I'll let you know if I see anything weirder than usual from there." 

Medusa lifted her head. "Well I have a date." 

Leo lifted an eye ridge. "At midnight?" 

Medusa slithered by her brother on her way to the front door. "Well now, that depends on how well it goes."

"I'm in." Arcos nodded but didn't elaborate.

Leo's head turned toward the reclusive bear, surprised by the offer. Even Medusa paused with one hand on the doorknob. Aries gave his brother a half interested look.

"I don't have other plans." Arcos stated, taking a step toward the front door.

"Good." Leo nodded. Extra patrols may be inconvenient but he couldn't say he didn't enjoy the extra time it meant his family was together.

As Medusa made to leave Leo was compelled to remind everyone one more time, just to be clear. "Check in everyone, no later than two AM, and let me know by eleven if you can't make patrol." Everyone inched closer to the exit, sticking their heads out a bit as if prompting him to end the meeting. He waved his hand, excusing them. "I guess that's it for now. Uh - enjoy your day."

As Arcos, Raph, Zoe, Anton, and Alli followed Medusa out the door, Splinter stood from the couch, and gathered up Yuuta. "Come my youngest son," he sniffed the top of Yuuta's head, "it would seem that you are in need of a bath."

Yuuta who'd been watching Anton and Alli leave, let out a protesting squeak, as he turned pleading eyes on Leo. Leo offered his baby brother a reassuring smile, but couldn't disagree with his sensei. Some part of him wondered how Yuuta must feel, soon to be the only one not to attend school. He'd heard his brothers squeak and noticed his mothers firm 'no' earlier. Leo sighed. If he could just clone himself so he could address everything he noticed, but he had to compartmentalize, prioritize, and safety outranked feelings.

Aries stood from the armchair, stretched, walked two steps and sprawled out over the couch before Karai could sit on it.

"What do you think you're doing?" she complained.

Aries snorted. "Getting the good spot for a decent nap. What are _you_ doing? Don't you have a dojo to run?"

Karai opened her mouth but Leo interjected. "He's right. We need to get to work. Let me just talk to Donnie, Mikey and April about tonight then we can go."

Aries folded his arms behind his head. "I thought Mikey was staying home with preggers in there."

Karai put a hand on Leo's shirt, stopping him from going toward the kitchen. "That or he might have to work, Leo."

"Denim will be fine with Mother." Leo argued. "If he doesn't have to work he can patrol, Donnie too."

"What about April? She's still suffering with a migraine from last night." Karai scoffed. "I guess you'll want her at the dojo screening our students today?" She lowered her voice as she looked him in the eye. "Donnie has plenty to keep him busy between his actual career, lab tests you demanded, background checks you demanded, and lab work for the baby that isn't actually going to be that everyone is set on pretending is."

Leo pinched between his eyes. "Karai, we have to do these things. We have to keep this family safe. I need everybody on board. I should've argued with Medusa about her date. It's unimportant compared to our safe-"

"They have lives, Leo. They can take care of themselves. You do the best you can but you can't be everywhere, and we all can't always be together in the same place at the same time so you can watch over us. Let April rest. Let Donnie deal with what you've already asked him to. And let Mikey decide, let him _choose_ , without any pressure, what he wants to do. If we need any of them and we call, they'll drop everything and come." Karai gave Aries a sideways glance then wrapped her hand around Leo's, lowering it as she intertwined their fingers. "None of this is your fault. You didn't fail. You are a good leader. Go to the dojo, focus on that for now. But if you go in that kitchen, make it to tell them you're leaving. Okay?"

"I never said I failed." Leo looked toward the kitchen, noticed Phoenix was no longer in the doorway.

"Didn't have to, fearless leader." Aries grumbled. "Now can you all clear out, I'm trying to sleep."

Denim and April emerged from the kitchen making their way toward the hall, whispering to one another.

"What are you two doing?" Karai asked.

"Just peeing in a cup," Denim shrugged, holding up a little plastic container.

Aries sat up. "And on that note, I think I'll go home and sleep."

"Good," Karai nudged him with her foot. "My first class isn't until one. Get off my couch."

Leo's eyes darted from the small plastic cup to his two sisters, wincing at the uncomfortable subject matter. "I'm just gonna say bye to Donnie, Mikey and Mom before I leave for the dojo."

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix came into the kitchen to find Denim staring at an empty cup. She instantly knew exactly what it was-a urine specimen cup. How many had she filled with her two pregnancies so many, many years ago? And they hadn't changed one bit. _You'd think they'd get a better way of gathering that information after almost thirty years._ "Need some tea?" she asked, trying to keep her voice light. 

Denim shook her head. "No, I'm..." her voice trailed off. 

Phoenix glanced at Donnie, to find him looking at her with the same expression she imagined herself wearing-worry. 

"The faster you getting in the cup, the faster you can decide what is going on," Phoenix said, urging Denim up with a hand. 

The young woman stood, only to swoon, grabbing at the table as Phoenix and April grabbed for her. "Sorry," Denim muttered. "I was just dizzy for a minute." 

"You probably stood up too fast," Phoenix said softly. "That happens to me sometimes." 

"You mean, you don't grow out of it?" Denim gave a wan smile.\

Phoenix chuckled. "Sorry." 

"I'll help you to the bathroom," April said, keeping an arm on Denim. "You still aren't looking too good." 

As they left the kitchen, Leo came in, lingering at the entrance. "I'm leaving for the dojo," he said. "Everything alright in here?" 

"It's exactly the same as it was a few minutes ago, Leo," Donnie said tightly. "Go to the dojo, do your job. We'll do ours." 

Leo nodded slowly, his dark blue eyes resting on his brother, then his mother, and then a silent, but smiling Mikey. "Ok," he said finally, turning to go. 

Phoenix slid into the seat next to the most exuberant turtle, and put her hand on his shoulder. "Michelangelo," she began. 

"This is so great, Mom," he said, "I'm gonna be a dad. I mean, I guess I'm already a dad, but I'm gonna be a baby dad. Well, Alli is still a baby, too, but-" 

"Mikey, listen," Donnie cut him off, sensing what Phoenix was trying to do. "You have to listen." 

"I am listening," Mikey said innocently. 

"You have to be prepared for this baby not to make it," Phoenix said, her voice level. "You _have_ to, Mikey, for Denim's sake." 

"What do you mean?" he looked to Donnie, then back to his mother. 

Phoenix and Donatello exchanged knowing glances. "There might come a time, and it might be soon," Phoenix continued, "when a choice has to be made-either the baby or Denim."

"What?" he asked, confusion written on his face.

"There might not be a choice of both of them, Mikey," Donnie said. 

Mikey shook his head. "No, you two will take care of all that," he waved his hand. "You're selling yourselves short." 

Donnie sighed and put his hand to his forehead. 

"Mikey," Phoenix's voice was no longer gentle, "neither of us are miracle workers. You _need_ to get it." She didn't stop when his eyes began to fill with tears and his smile looked painted on. "There is a real chance that Denim might die because of this."


	20. Chapter 19

Splinter filled the tub and began to undress Yuuta, who stood by obediently and let himself be unclothed. His body, while small, was heavily muscled. He had his father's four fingers, and the shape of his feet where the same also, only smaller versions of Splinter's large rat paws. His body, however, was more human than Splinter's, slender and straight, lacking the swell of the stomach. He also lacked, therefore, the true ability to run on all fours. Rather, when he did so, it was more of a human like gait, but with a more flexible back, so that he was jumping and landing on his hands rather than running as his father was capable of doing. Right now, however, he stood up straight, looking at his father with forlorn eyes as the tub filled with water. 

Splinter pointedly ignored him, lest he fall victim to the child's wilds and end up promising something he would later regret. 

Yuuta squeaked pathetically. 

"That is something you will have take up with your mother," Splinter replied, assuming that the boy was saying something akin to, 'I want to go to school.' While Hamato Yoshi's education had not been what the majority of Japanese school boys experienced, it was an education filled with young boys. If one of them had been in Yuuta's state, the size of his three year old niece and not speaking, they would have mercilessly pecked at him. He didn't think that was a bad thing, per se, it would have served to toughen him up, to teach him to protect himself from bullies, to work even harder than the other around him to achieve great things. Or perhaps it would have filled him with bitterness and he would've turned to gathering power to assuage the smallness on the outside and inside of him, like Saki... 

Splinter shook his head. It didn't matter, really. The one time that he had broached the subject with Phoenix, she had shut the conversation down so fast, all that would have surprised him more would have been if she'd had grabbed his muzzle and physically silenced him. "No," she had told him. "I went to school, I know what they did to kids like him back then, and they were human. They'll torture a mutant." He had had no response. 

With enough water in the tub for the boy to play in, he placed the pup in it, and began to wet him with the cup they kept there for this very purpose. Yuuta maneuvered his ears about his head to try and avoid water getting them in as he played with toy submarine. Splinter lathered him up. He was going to have to meditate on all of the information that had come to light last night. He always regretted when he lost his temper, but the chattering of all of the people in the apartment, coupled with the growing tension in Karai, Phoenix, and Donnie had sent him over the edge. He tried, very hard, to save the order giving for Leo, to let him be the leader of the team. He was, after all, the one who was out and about in the thick of it all. He had always been in a support role, not having the desire to go out and save the city that embodied his eldest son. He wanted his family to be safe, to be happy, to be his. His orders leaned in that direction, and he was not ashamed that everyone else could be left to their own devices, as long as it meant that his family was safe and sound. 

With Leonardo's shining desire for social justice, he often wondered if his own, small version of happiness was enough. Again he shook his head. He had had his chance to lead a clan when he was younger, and he'd obviously not done a good job at it. This small apartment was all that was left, and every single one of them, save Karai and Yuuta, were adopted into it. 

The door opened more than the crack he left it, and April and Denim pointed their heads in. 

"Uh, Sensei," April said, blushing. "We need to use the bathroom." 

He smiled, standing up, patting Yuuta on his head. "Of course," he said, sliding gracefully out to leave the boy and two women alone.

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey's head echoed with his mom's words for an instant before he shut them away. He'd always pictured it as a huge bank vault, like in the movies. It was where he sealed away all the things he never ever wanted to think about. What could happen to his brothers if a mission went bad. What the world would be like if the Kraang had won or the Mutant Liberation War had been lost. Signs that his father wasn't going to live forever. And now this.

His mind instead conjured up better images. Holding a tiny baby turtle, just like Anton when he'd been born, one with Denim's eyes. Alli holding her new siblings little hands as she attempted to give a walking lesson. Curling up on the couch with Denim, their kids snuggled up against them for movie night.

"Mikey!"

He jerked back to reality to find Donnie gripping his chin and snapping his fingers in front of his face. "Stay with me. I need you to focus."

 _No_.

Donnie's eyes glistened as he continued. "We're gonna do everything we can, I swear it, but if...if things go badly, you need to be ready. And Denim needs you to be strong for her now, not pretending things are ok when they aren't. That's only making it worse. Do you understand?"

 _No_.

Donnie's iron grip on his chin yanked his head back forward when he tried to look away.

"Do you understand?"

"No!"

On some level he was aware that the voice sounded nothing like his as he tore free from Donnie's grasp and fled the room. The next thing he knew, he was on the balcony, gripping the railing so hard it made his hands hurt, trying to keep his breakfast in. The neighbors wouldn't be too pleased with his family if he tossed his cookies into the little courtyard below.

It wasn't fair. It just wasn't. They'd saved the world. Why couldn't the universe let him have this? What had he done wrong? Was it the pranks? Because if it was, he'd never pull another so long as Denim and the baby pulled through.

He felt his father's long, slender fingers close around his shoulder. "Michelangelo?"

Something snapped inside him. He turned, buried his face in the fur of his father's chest and sobbed as he hadn't since he was a little kid.

He didn't know how long he'd been standing there crying, but eventually the well ran dry. His father relinquished an embrace Mikey didn't even recall him giving. He shuffled back in embarrassment.

"Michelangelo, I know you are in a difficult situation..."

"How did you do it?" The words were out of his mouth before he even had time to consider them.

His father blinked in startled confusion. "How did I do what?"

It was out now. He couldn't take it back. Might as well see it through to the end.

"Tang Shen and Miwa. How did you survive it?" The words came out as a whisper, but the stiffening in his father's posture told him that Sensei had heard them loud and clear.

There was a long moment of silence and he wondered if his father was going to answer. If he'd crossed a line with the question.

Then Sensei took a deep breath. "I found you and your brother's. You needed me. You saved me. Just as Alli will need you, no matter how things turn out."

He reeled as the truth of that hit him like a sledgehammer to the plastron. He'd been so wrapped up in Denim's plight that he'd completely forgotten about his little girl. The thought of possibly losing her… even now his mind resisted considering it, the fear had been so overpowering he hadn't been able to see his way through to a future beyond it. Without Denim, there was no future. Except there had to be. Because Alli needed him.

Somehow that made everything hurt even worse, but his resolve hardened like a lead weight in his gut. One way or another, he'd get through this because there was no other choice.

But he wasn't giving up on them. Not yet. Donnie and mom might doubt themselves, but they would try. With everything they had. And they could work miracles. He'd seen it. As long as there was even a shred of hope, he wouldn't let go.

In the meantime, he'd take care of her. Like the treasure she was, because it was all he had to give.

Although he almost never wore his mask anymore unless participating in his family's nocturnal extracurriculars, he still had it on him from last night. Hoping the oddness of it would pass unnoticed, he pulled it out and tied it over his face, needing the barrier to hide his swollen, puffy eyes. The last thing he needed was to give Denim something to worry about. Taking a deep breath, he straightened as he pulled back the door and curtain that his father had closed upon coming out to join him and reentered the apartment. He would take care of her. No matter what.

TSOTCTSOTC

Splinter remained on the balcony watching his sweet, cheerful son pick up the broken pieces of himself and go back inside, hoping that what little he'd been able to offer was enough.

He'd thought that nothing could top the pain of that night. The night of the fire, when he'd lost Tang Shen and thought he'd lost his little Miwa. He was wrong. Watching his son, his most optimistic and lighthearted child, go through that same suffering was so much worse.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim wasn't feeling particularly bad. Nothing compared to the previous night. She'd suffered another head rush when she'd stood up in the kitchen, but with her old injury and low blood pressure, that wasn't all that abnormal for her... Well she didn't usually experience tunnel vision… and definitely not this often.

April was drying off Yuuta and directing him towards his bedroom. "Get dressed, then we'll check in with your mom about her plans for you today."

Yuuta let out a melancholy squeak that sent a sliver of pain straight to Denim's heart. A sad Yuuta was about as depressing as an unhappy Mikey.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your bath, Yuuta. I've really got to go." She apologized and he shrugged, squeaking something that led her to believe he was fine, before he slipped into the hall.

"I hate to say I'm going to listen, so I won't. But I'll be right here in case you feel woozy again." April followed Yuuta out the door and Denim felt a twinge of frustration.

She'd been pregnant before, and she got that this was different, but she felt fine. She'd been perfectly normal before last night. Hadn't she? She had been taking naps, like she had early on with Alli... Maybe that's what was going on last week when she'd fallen asleep three nights in a row on her and Mikey's movie date. In hindsight it explained things she'd chalked up to the stomach flu or a hard time at work... Three days running.

She closed the door behind April and moved to the toilet to do her business. One thing she hadn't ever imagined herself doing was peeing in a cup and giving it to Mikey's brother to test. Weird.

She'd hardly had time to process the idea of being pregnant. A second baby. A baby with Mikey. Anton was adorable, a gorgeous turtle-boy... A mini-Mikey, a tiny turtle infant would be amazing. Her heart fluttered. With Mikey's eyes and his sweet smile.

Alli would love him or her. She'd be a proud big sister. One who would go down swinging if anyone messed with her sibling. Oh dear. That would be a given. Bullying was most likely why Phoenix kept Yuuta home.

Denim refused to entertain the idea of anyone tormenting her children. Maybe Alli should take classes at the dojo. Not that she wanted her fighting, but to have the confidence that she could handle herself.

Denim sighed, finishing her business and putting the cap on the container. As she washed her hands she glanced at herself in the mirror. "Yesterday I was fine. Today I look like someone's injected me with yellow highlighter and thought it'd be cute to accent the look by painting Batman's mask around my eyes. Not to mention everyone's treating me and you," she put a hand over her abdomen, "like we've brought the apocalypse upon the family."

She struggled with the knot forming at the back of her throat, her voice falling soft around her words. "Well you have to make it. If either of us has to go it should be me." Her gaze shifted from her hand to the door. "Mikey has to at least get to hold you, to meet you." Her heart swelled till she thought it might burst. "He's a great dad to Alli and he'll be even better to you. So there you go, we've had our first mommy-baby chat. You're going to grow big and strong, and I'm going to get you here if it kills me."

She shuddered at the latter but straightened none-the-less. She meant every word and that was that.

A light tap came to the door. "Denim? You okay in there?"

April! "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry, I'm just kind of spacey."

She opened the door, passing April the specimen cup. April placed it in a discreet black bag draped over her shoulder.

"So what else is on your agenda today?" April asked with a smile, but Denim thought it forced.

As they made their way down the hall she noticed Mikey stepping in from the balcony. He'd put his mask on. That was something he didn't usually do unless he was going to the dojo or out on patrol. She hadn't had a chance to ask him about his plans yet. She'd heard Leo mention patrol, but that was later on. Maybe he'd done it out of habit.

He smiled at her, but it was well below his usual wattage and as she approached him the pain in his eyes became imminent.

She wanted to ask him what was wrong, to shield him from whoever had brought this hurt upon him. Instead her heart clenched, because she couldn't protect him when she was the cause. And she was sure by the way his eyes never left hers, the way he practically plowed April to get to her, whatever had him upset had everything to do with her and probably their baby.

Her lip trembled and she trapped it between her teeth. It unnerved her when he wasn't his cheerful self, and while he seemed ready to fake it the fact that he even had to made her feel ill all over again.

She was determined to comfort him, not bring him more distress and she knew the perfect distraction. Pushing every worry she had to one corner of her mind, she reached for him. Standing on tiptoe she snaked her arms around his neck. "Are you ready to find our new place today?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe hated crowds. She loathed people, especially strangers. But sending Anton to school was the right thing to do. Phoenix and Donnie would be busy with Denim and as much as she hated to admit it, a crowded public place was probably one of the safest for her son. Of course Donnie would have to verify, then amplify the security, but afterward it seemed promising.

As soon as Raph figured out there could be safety in large numbers he'd have her at Grand Central Station, or Times Square. Her chest tightened at the thought of either.

"Well you goin' in or what?" Raph held the entry door open, motioning her, carrying Alli, with Anton right behind her, inside the school.

An older man with a graying beard greeted them. "I'm principal Jackson. Are you dropping Allison off?" The man smiled at Alli. "Hello there, Miss Sanders, and how are we this morning?"

Alli glared at the man. "I'm hungry."

Anton tugged on Raph's arm. "I'm hungry too."

Raph scowled. "You just ate!"

"I want lunch," Anton whined. "Are we having lunch?"

"Sure." Raph crossed his arms, peering down at Anton. "Today we're servin' air and water. Enjoy."

Anton, Alli and Principal Jackson all stared at Raph, who threw his hands up. "What? We're goin' all natural. It's good for ya. We're goin' to go open our arms and absorb the sunshine. It's gonna be awesome."

Zoe exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, then lowered Alli to her feet. "Right. It's nice to meet you, Principal Jackson. Please don't mind Raph, he's just kidding."

"No I ain't," Raph grumbled.

She ignored him and the principal looked back and forth between them. Zoe smiled. "We are here to drop off Alli, but we're also here to enroll our son, Antonello in school."

TSOTCTSOTC

Donnie and Phoenix turned to each other, again mirroring each other's looks, as Mikey ran out of the room. "For someone being honest, you weren't very detailed, Mother," Donnie said.

Her look turned incredulous. "Excuse me?"

"You didn't tell him anything."

"I told him Denim or the baby or both might die!" she protested, her voice getting an edge to it.

"But you didn't _tell_ him anything." Donnie reached over as if he were going to take her hand, but stopped before he did. "I think you should tell them. I mean...really tell them."

She was silent, her lips pursed.

"I know you and Sensei don't like to share that kind of stuff, but I think it is important that they know. It looks like Denim is going to have a hard time."

Phoenix huffed, looking away from her son. The words _Maybe it won't be that way for them,_ played on her tongue, and she found how ironic it was that when confronted, she played the same card that Denim and Mikey did.

"They need to know how close you came to-"

"I'll tell them," she cut him off. _At some point._

TSOTCTSOTC

There was a finality to his mother's words that effectively shut down the conversation. But Donnie didn't doubt that she would speak candidly to Mikey and Denim about her experience. Eventually. As private as she could be about matters she considered personal, she would never allow that inclination to endanger any of her children. He'd learned that when he'd come to her to ask about Yuuta when he thought that it might be time to broach the subject of children with April. After all their situations were comparable. His mother and April were both Kraang-human hybrids, romantically committed to anthropomorphic mutants. She hadn't held anything back and the effect was enough to scare him away from the risk, shutting down any and all related conversations whenever April tentatively broached the topic. At some point, he'd need to explain why to April, but not before he got his mother's permission. Betraying her confidence would be a grave mistake.

With a sigh, he pushed himself to his feet, swaying slightly. Not a good way to start the day, considering how much work he had to get done. And he couldn't even nap on the drive back as both his and April's cars were here. Oh well, he'd gone on less sleep before. He only felt tired now because he wasn't actively working on something. Once he got back to his lab, he'd lose himself in his tasks. If he wasn't so emotionally involved he might have found the prospect exciting. As it was, he approached his future research with a mixture of dread and trepidation.

"I'll run some tests to try and figure out what Denim's body is doing on a chemical level that differs from normal pregnancy. When I have some results to work with, I'll come back so that we can discuss how your psycho-therapeutic abilities..." he was not calling it magic "...can work in conjunction with any ideas I'm able to generate as possible treatments."

She smiled in amusement at his discomfort with her talent, but he magnanimously chose to ignore it as he walked towards the living room where April waited at the edge of the kitchen with his kit.

She handed it to him with a tired smile. "Ready to go?"

For the first time in what seemed like forever, he felt genuinely happy and pulled her against him. "Yeah."

She gave him a final squeeze before releasing him. "Let's say goodbye to everyone and go home."

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey's below full-wattage smile sent an ache to Denim's gut. There was a flicker in his eyes then he seemed to snap out of it. "Yeah, Blue Jeans, I'm totally ready to find a place. Did you have any in mind?"

April stood by the kitchen entry talking to Donnie, who approached and gave her a hug. "Let's say goodbye to everyone and go home."

Mikey slipped an arm around Denim, turning her so he could rest his chin on her shoulder. He called to his brother. "You guys leavin'?"

"Yeah. I've got a ton of work to do." Donnie looked at Denim, which prompted Mikey to pull her closer to him. "Do whatever Phoenix says, and call me if you need anything. I'll be in touch when I know more."

April offered a small smile as Denim wiggled free of Mikey's grasp to exchange a hug with her. "Call me if you need to talk," she whispered.

Denim's heart swelled at the offer. April was level-headed and calm, two traits she could use in a friend. "I will. Thanks, April."

Phoenix stood from the kitchen table and hugged them both. "I'll walk you out."

The five stood in the living room, all eyes drifting to where Karai slept on the couch, her back to the center of the room.

"We'll just let her sleep," Donnie said, placing a hand on April's shoulder and leading her out. Phoenix followed, closing the door behind them.

Denim turned back around to face Michelangelo. "Maybe we should do a search on the internet to find a place?"

TSOTCTSOTC

"Raph, I can have this paperwork filled out by tomorrow. Then he can start school the day after it's processed. Calm down, it's not that big a deal." Zoe dropped the stack of forms on the dojo office desk as Anton bounded by her.

"I'm going to warm up!" he called, running down the hall toward the dojo.

"Ya' better stop runnin'. Leo's gonna have you scrubbing mats if he catches you." Raph called after him. He glared at Zoe. "I ain't worried about the paperwork. I just-" he rubbed the back of his head while his jaw worked like he was chewing on his words. "It don't feel right. I know we talked about it, but-" he shook his head. "I got a bad feelin, Z."

Zoe chewed on her lip. Considering Raph's instincts were usually right she wouldn't dismiss his concerns, but when in their lives did anything go as planned? Never. They couldn't stop living because there was a threat, when there was always a threat. "Raph, we can't all three be in the same place at the same time, all of the time. You work and you have to leave us when you do. I work here and Anton needs to go to school. He needs the education so he can have better job opportunities than we do, or at least have more of them."

Raph scowled. "It's kindagarten, Z. It ain't college."

"He has to go to kindergarten in order to-" Zoe stopped herself, let out an exasperate huff. "You know what? I'm not spending the entire day arguing with you. I'm filling out these papers, teaching a yoga class, then I've got some issues to work out on the mat." She circled around the desk, pulled out the office chair and plopped down in it. "I should probably call Phoenix and find out if she needs me to cover her classes today or if Denim is well enough that she'll make it on her own." She sighed. "Then if she's sickly we'll probably need to pick Alli up after school, right?"

"You changed the subject. Don't think I didn't notice. But nice try, Z." He leaned over the desk, looking her in the eye. "I don't like this thing with you patrolling tonight neither." He nodded. "But we'll work that out on the mat too." He straightened and cracked his neck. "I'm gonna warm up and talk to Leo," he waved a hand at her, "and yes to all that stuff you just went on about." 

TSOTCTSOTC

Karai stared at the threadbare couch cushion close to her face. Stupid couch. It was so old the springs were pushing up in her side. She should talk to Leo about getting new one. Surely that was something they could manage, being as they didn't have to make it, or grow it, or give birth to it. Her teeth ground together. Was she really comparing buying a couch to having a baby? What kind of stupid analogy was that?

She sat up and punched the throw pillow then plopped down on it again. They'd buy new pillows too. Why'd she want to have kids anyway? They cried, pooped, puked, it was all a mess. Her life was messy enough. There was always something. Her head ached, her mind swimming with images of new couches, then newborn Anton, and Yuuta. Even Alli was cuter than hell with all that sass. Leo certainly enjoyed her. He'd love a daughter… Her thoughts drifted toward her first pregnancy and she blocked it with a vengeance. She warded off the heartache from the second even more.

 _Clear your mind. Clear your mind. Clear-_

Donatello's voice travelled from the kitchen, piercing her quiet place. "For someone being honest, you weren't very detailed, Mother."

"Excuse me?" Phoenix snapped.

"You didn't tell him anything."

"I told him Denim or the baby or both might die!" Phoenix protested, her voice escalating.

"But you didn't _tell_ him anything." Donnie whispered. "I think you should tell them. I mean...really tell them."

Tell them what?

There was a moment of silence before Donnie spoke again. "I know you and Sensei don't like to share that kind of stuff, but I think it is important that they know. It looks like Denim is going to have a hard time."

Phoenix huffed then Donnie went on. "They need to know how close you came to-"

"I'll tell them," Phoenix cut him off.

Tell them what? What did she come close to? What was there that she and father hadn't told them? What did Donatello know that she and Leo did not? Did Leo know? Wait… was something wrong with Phoenix when she was pregnant with Yuuta?

She recalled Donatello's words to Michelangelo earlier.

 _"This is going to be hard for you to hear, but Denim's pregnancy is very dangerous for both her and the baby."_

 _Mikey blinked. "I don't understand. Why? I mean Zoe and Raph were fine and what about mom and dad?"_

 _Donnie sighed. "Fine might be stretching it for Zoe and Raph and with Yuuta...there's more to that than you know, but neither case applies to this one. Zoe and mom aren't human."_

How dare her? How dare _them_? What happened with Yuuta that they hadn't shared with her? And after she'd had two miscarriages? Karai's jaw clenched. She was going to talk to Leo about this, find out what he knew. How could their parents keep anything from them, after all they'd been through?

There was jabbering going on behind her, Mikey and Denim talking about looking for a place, Donnie and April discussing leaving. They should all go. She wished everyone would just go. She commanded herself to be still and listen. Maybe Phoenix would tell Mikey and Denim whatever it was once April and Donnie had gone. One thing was certain, whether Phoenix told them or not… When she was good and ready, and had questioned the right turtle, Karai was going to have a word with their parents.


	21. Chapter 20

"There's a place to live in this building," Phoenix said, adjusting a towel wrapped Yuuta on her hip. He held onto her waist with his feet like they were little hands, his arms clutching her shoulders, his head resting on her cheek. "It's the apartment two floors down on the opposite side of this one," she explained. 

Mikey laughed like a mad scientist. "Your evil plan begins to come to fruition!"

Denim looked at him like he _was_ a mad scientist.

Splinter walked up from the balcony, putting his hand on his wife's shoulder. "It is her dream to have us all living in one building, like we used to before the war."

"Don't knock my dreams," she said good-naturedly. "We'd have less complaining neighbors."

"We'd be the neighbors," Denim deadpanned.

Phoenix winked. "Exactly." Then her demeanor changed, "Plus, you'll be close by for your pregnancy."

There was a moment of awkward silence before Splinter broke it. "Come," he steered Phoenix in the other direction toward the kitchen. "Let us sit for some tea, and we can talk."

Phoenix sighed. "You heard what Donatello said," she muttered.

Yuuta squeaked.

Splinter chuckled. "That is right, my youngest son. Big ears make for good hearing."

Phoenix stroked the top of Karai's 'sleeping' head as she passed her, and then settled with everyone else in the kitchen. "You have to understand," she told Mikey and Denim, "that this is not a little thing, this pregnancy."

Mikey nodded. "It's a great thing."

His mother pursed her lips. "It is a great thing," she said with an edge to her voice, "but is a hard thing, too." She turned directly to Denim, as if she thought she might have better luck getting through to her than to Michelangelo. "If what is happening now is any indication, this is going to be very tough for you. In essence, you have an animal human hybrid, with some alien DNA mixed in growing inside of you." She paused for effect. "And your body doesn't like it."

Denim licked her lips, but didn't say anything.

"Your body may view the baby as a foreign body that needs to be removed." Phoenix's face twisted for a moment, as if she'd felt something painful. She glanced up at Splinter, who looked at her knowingly, his ears back ever so slightly. "But," the healer turned back to Denim, "this isn't a normal baby we're talking about. It will fight back. And it might win."

"Mom," Mikey's voice was quiet, "what are you talking about?"

Splinter rubbed her shoulder.

"When I was pregnant," she said, hugging Yuuta close. "The pregnancy almost killed me. The fetus took everything that was available to it," she spoke as if the baby growing inside of her had not been the little boy she was now holding.

"Which is everything the mother has," Denim said, her voice faraway.

Phoenix nodded. "And even with my powers, we still got little Yuuta." He squeaked, and she smiled broadly kissing his muzzle. "And he's the best little squeaky toy there is, isn't he?"

He nodded vigorously.

"Wait a minute," Denim looked from the rat pup, so small and unable to speak properly at 5, to his mother, to Splinter. "What power?"

TSOTCTSOTC

As soon as they'd gotten home, April stopped Donnie from rushing to his lab, instead forcing him into the kitchen where she'd laid out the leftovers from Mikey's breakfast feast, rightly guessing that he hadn't managed to consume any of it while at their parent's apartment. "Eat first. Then work."

He managed a real smile for her before obediently digging in. She started up the coffee pot, knowing that convincing him to get more sleep right now was beyond even her influence. All she could do was keep him caffeinated enough to make it through the rest of the day. If Leo stopped by to try dragging him out on patrol tonight she'd feed him his own shell.

Speaking of, the family breakfast had probably drained Leo and Karai's resources, stripping them of groceries they might have been expecting to last the week. She was going to have to make it out to the supermarket today and 'overbuy' for herself and Donnie. Everyone knew damn well what she was up to whenever she showed up loaded down with spare provisions, but it was enough of a cover for their pride that no one ever questioned the charade.

After puttering around as much as she could in the kitchen, she drifted into the living room. Some white noise would not be an unwelcome background for the pattern of her thoughts as she worked to process the sudden influx of challenges now facing their family. Picking up the remote, she turned on the television, hoping to catch one of those inane news-talk shows that always seemed to be playing in the morning. Instead, she got a commercial that immediately claimed her full attention.

 _A well dressed man in a suit leaned casually against a mahogany desk in an expensive-looking office, a gold AFH pin affixed to his lapel. "With all this talk about the humanity of mutants, it's easy to forget that they are still animals with the instincts of animals."_

 _The scene switched to a baker in his shop. "I have a right to be safe in my place of work."_

 _The scene switched again to a teacher in an elementary school classroom. "I have a right to ensure that my students are safe."_

 _Once more the scene turned to a mother exiting her apartment with two small children in tow. "My family has a right to be safe in our home."_

 _And back to the man in the office. "Wild animals can turn on us at any moment. Americans for Humanity is dedicated to keeping honest citizens safe..._

The screen went dark as a crack split the surface and smoke poured out the top and back of their television. The headache hit her a moment later, setting her brain on fire.

"I thought you might need this, although the telecide is a surprise."

She grimaced as Donnie handed her a cup of hangover cure for overuse of her powers. "I'm supposed to be the one taking care of you." She took a sip of the bitter concoction, knowing that it would help calm the pain.

Donnie smiled. "It works both ways. So what was the television's offense?"

This time her sour expression had nothing to do with the beverage. "AFH commercial."

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "Try not to let it get to you."

Her grip on the glass tightened. "I can't ignore it. Don't you see what they're doing?"

He frowned down at her. "Whipping up the same hate as usual."

For someone so smart, he could be damn clueless sometimes. "If they can afford commercials, they've got serious funding now. They're going to start lobbying lawmakers with their agenda."

His brow furrowed. "But the Supreme Court..."

She shook her head. "Donnie, time isn't a straight march towards justice and progress. It's a constant battle full of gains and losses. Not only can they block our acquisition of future rights, if no one fights them, they can start chipping away at the rights we have. We can't afford to be complacent."

He looked sad. "What else can we do? This isn't the kind of battle we're used to fighting."

And he was right. Nothing in his or any of his family members' lives would have prepared him to deal with this kind of threat. But she'd had some experience with the system in college. She knew how grassroots groups formed and how a protest was run.

Shaking her head, she smiled at him over her shoulder and patted his hands latched onto his waist. "Don't worry. I'm fine and it's not like we have any time for television anyway. I'll rest up while you get started on the mountain of work you've got waiting."

He didn't seem entirely convinced but the call of his lab was strong. "Ok." He kissed her temple before releasing her and slipping silently out of the room already lost inside his head.

Setting her empty glass on the counter, she began to pace as she considered everything necessary to get her counter-AFH group off the ground. This would put her and her family very much in the public awareness. Leo would be apoplectic. There was only one thing to be done. She'd need an ace in the hole. Leo'd already asked her to swing by the dojo and get a read on the students. That would be the perfect time to bring Karai on board. The AFH wouldn't know what hit them.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim waited for Phoenix to answer, but before she could Karai barged in.

"I can't believe you! Did you just tell them you almost _died_?" She slapped her hand on the table, glaring at her parents.

Yuuta let out a little eep and Denim sat back in her chair, mouth clamped shut. Michelangelo reached for Yuuta as Phoenix shifted.

"Ka-" Splinter began.

"Died? And after everything Leo and I have been through-" Karai's eyes filled. She swallowed hard, her throat working as she glanced from Mikey to Denim, then leveled her gaze on Phoenix. "How could you not tell us? I would've never made it through either miscarriage without you, but you don't trust me enough to be there for you? Why?"

Either miscarriage? Denim's heart picked up a sick off-beat that had her thinking she'd lose her toast. Either miscarriage. As in Karai had more than one, and _she_ was half-mutant. Even Phoenix was half-something and she almost _died_.

Tears threatened but Denim was determined to keep them at bay. Even as what Karai was saying was important, what Denim was witnessing wasn't _about_ her. Her tears would be selfish, and she had to think of Mikey. He needed her to be strong for him. Still as parents and child commenced stare down, Denim couldn't help feeling like she should excuse herself, to scream, cry, and not hear something that was none of her business.

Michelangelo stood and stepped around Karai. With Yuuta on one hip, he reached out and took Denim's hand in his. "Come on Blue Jeans, let's go talk to the building manager about seeing that apartment. If it's okay with Mom and Sensei, Yuuta can come with."

Karai wheeled on Mikey, jabbing him in the shoulder. "You need to brace yourself, Little Brother. I'll help the two of you anyway I can, but I won't live in your little fantasy all-is-well world. You have no idea how bad this can get."

TSOTCTSOTC

"Karai!" Splinter's voice was harsh. 

The young woman didn't even flinch, turning back on her father, her eyes, just like his, filled with tears. "You didn't tell us something _that_ important," she hissed. 

"Go talk to the manager," Phoenix said, giving Mikey and Denim permission to go. The turtle and his mate slipped out of the apartment with the rat pup in their arms. She then turned to Karai, and like her adopted daughter, did not back down at the tone of voice presented to her. "Firstly, you are forgetting how long ago that was-" she began. 

"My miscarriages weren't," she shot back. 

"Everybody miscarries, Karai," Phoenix said, repeating a phrase she'd told the younger many times before. "It happens. And that means you can get pregnant, and it means it will eventually stick, just like all of my miscarriages did with Yuuta." 

"You miscarried, too?!" Karai could feel her face getting red, her voice was becoming more siblated. 

Phoenix reached out and touched her arm, and she felt a rush of calm spread out, starting at the touch. It was always an odd thing, because the calm started in the wrong place, but it ended like it always did, with her remaining in her human form. 

"You did not think Yuuta arrived with no struggle, when you and Zoe have gone through so much?" Splinter asked her, his voice much more gentle now that he saw he wasn't going to have to break up a fight. 

Karai gasped. It had never crossed her mind that Yuuta has arrived with them at any sort of price, other than the normal one of the toll on one's body a baby demanded. Her amber eyes darted from her father to her mother. The rat put his arm about the little woman's shoulders, and they both looked at her sympathetically. 

"You have a class to teach soon," Phoenix said, "you're not going to go to sleep now and wake up in time for it. Why don't you go to the dojo, and we'll talk about this later?" 

"Oh no you don't," the anger was back. "You aren't going to just bat this away like you do when you don't want to talk about something-" 

"We will discuss it later," Splinter interrupted her. 

"I promise," Phoenix said when Karai opened her mouth to speak. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Later. When we're all calm." 

Calm? How was she ever going to be calm about this? Ever? She resisted the urge to point at her. "You will," she said, then turned and stormed out. 

Phoenix sighed and leaned in to Splinter's chest. "This was all supposed to be over," she muttered. 

"Layers get stripped back as they get older," Splinter replied. "Come. You look tired. Come to bed." 

She let herself be lead out of the kitchen, and was half way down the hall before she realized. "We're in the house by ourselves." 

Splinter flicked his tail. "I know." 

Giggling like a school girl, she wiggled in front of him and sprinted to their bedroom, with him only a moment behind.

TSOTCTSOTC

Arcos set the sketchpad down as his computer beeped at him. He'd say that he'd slipped into his corner of the loft the moment he arrived home to escape the recent hostility he'd been experiencing from the once open-minded collective of artists with which he lived, but that didn't explain him setting his computer to notify him by sound every time his email updated. He was waiting to hear from Donnie. And in the waiting he was gaining a greater appreciation for the sheer volume of junk mail he regularly received.

Waking the computer his brother had kindly built to help him with his business, he was relieved to see that he'd been CC'd on an email from Don to Leo. Finally. Opening it, he skimmed passed the unnecessarily long explanation of how he'd gotten lucky, catching a match into some bone marrow donor database he'd hacked into and went straight to opening the attached file.

Scanning the biographical information wasn't enlightening. Jaya Freeman. Given her birthdate, she'd be twenty-three now. An address that had to be outdated. Education through the start of high school.

He paused in confusion. Listed as deceased during the Kraang invasion. That couldn't be right.

He scrolled down and gawked at the attached photograph. In it was a teenage girl in a school uniform smiling brightly for the camera. Her hair was a mess of tiny braids pulled back into a short, unruly ponytail. Her dark brown eyes sparkled with mirth and her face and cheeks round and soft, mostly youth with only the promise of the woman she would be. Who was not the woman she became.

He glanced back at his sketchpad, full of several pages of his mystery assailant, drawn from a variety of angles. The last he'd done was a close up of her countenance as he remembered it from pulling her in close when he'd caught her hand during the fight. There was nothing of the girl from the photograph in his sketch. Aside from perhaps a shared skin tone of rich brown, they had absolutely nothing in common.

And yet that wasn't what struck him most. The girl from the photograph. He remembered her. Closing his eyes, he could still picture that night. The girl with her backpack, chasing a stray paper into the street. The oncoming car. No time to stop. He'd made a split-second decision and almost gotten himself a nice bumper-shaped bruise barreling her out of the way. But he remembered it because she hadn't screamed or thrashed. She'd just hung on, looking up at him in gratitude. That never happened. Ultimately, he'd been the one to run away, not sure what to make of the encounter.

He remembered her. And she was not the woman he'd seen last night. And yet, Donnie's report said they were the same. How was that possible? He thought his brother's research would give him some closure to the mystery. Now all he had were more questions.

TSOTCTSOTC

"Easy, Z." Raph let his left shoulder roll back, avoiding Zoe's strike.

She followed through, spinning in toward him, reaching in and stealing a tap under the inside of his upper arm.

"Ah-ah-ah," he chided, blocking her second strike then countering. She ducked and countered with a punch, punch, spin kick combination.

It was a wasted effort as he blocked each attempt. Beads of sweat gathered on Zoe's brow. They'd been sparring hard while Leo and Anton watched, and she no longer knew for how long. She huffed, blowing a wisp of red hair from her eyes.

Raph's weight shifted ever so slightly to his left, while his right hand flew forward. Two fingers mimicked her earlier attack, striking the underside of her arm. Zoe's mouth fell open, but she snapped it shut quickly. Her teeth clenching at sight of his taunting smirk.

"Two more love taps, maybe even one to your nose, but where and when only Raph knows." He seemed proud of his smack talk, weaving and bobbing with a gleam in his eye.

Zoe's inner cat growled, the sound causing her chest to rumble.

"Mom!" Anton bellowed. "You're doing it aga-"

"Shhh!" Leo hushed him.

Raph had the gall to wink at her and Zoe damn well felt herself slipping. A hiss slipped by her as she sprang forth, hands flying. Point one the neck, two the temple, and thr-

Raph swiped her hand away, just in time. Blocked her follow up strike and snatched her wrist between his fingers.

"Enough, Zoe," he called to her. "That's enough."

Her free hand covered the one he still held her with. Raph's eyes widened. "Z, don't-"

She popped up, wrapping one ankle around his forearm the other sweeping around from behind hooking him around the neck. Her entire body flipped around, up and over until she was sitting on his shoulders. Raph flailed trying to get her off. "Dammit, Zoe get offa me!"

She clasped his head between her thighs, thrust herself forward and flipped him. Rolling free as he bounced on his shell, she righted herself, one hand on the floor, one by her side, almost in a one armed downward dog. But Zoe was no dog. She coiled to spring again as Raph moved to get up but the slamming of a dojo door snapped her out of it.

The room around her blurred in to focus, as Raph came to stand over her a scowl on his face. "You just earned yourself evening meditation with Leo. You can't be losing it like that, Z."

Zoe stared at him, replaying her actions through her head as if someone else had done them with her body, while she watched.

Across the dojo Karai was throwing a tantrum that had Leo yanking her to him. He said something that silenced her long enough for him to wave Anton toward Raph.

"I'm still going tonight, Raph," she said, offering a tight lipped smile at her approaching son.

Raph cursed under his breath, too late to voice his opinion as Anton hugged his mother telling her how awesome and scary she was.

Zoe's eyes met Raph's in that moment. The stress of losing a fight, followed by the discovery of someone hunting her again... Her chest tightened. She didn't want to admit Raph was right, that she had no business going out if she couldn't stay cool while sparring.

But her feline pride wouldn't let her back down. The sooner she flipped the tables on this new threat the faster on-the-edge-of-losing-it Zoe could recede back into her cage.

TSOTCTSOTC

"Hold up, hold up, Karai-"

"Did you know Mom almost died having Yuuta? Almost _died_ , Leo and she never let on that anything was wrong! They never told us. Why would they do that?" Karai repeated her ranting a second time, and with Anton effectively directed out of the adult conversation zone, Leo was able to actually listen.

But as he opened his mouth to respond she launched into a new tirade. "I about lost it on them. After seeing us through two miscarriages you'd think they'd know we'd understand what they were going through, that we'd have helped out more! What else are they keeping from us? Huh? And Mikey just sat there like he was still blocking out the who-"

"Hold it." Leo raised a hand. "Hold it, right there. Back up. Who all was present for this... Revelation?"

Karai opened her mouth then snapped it shut as his eyes narrowed on her.

"Are you saying you announced our business in front of my very sensitive and currently terrified for his mate, little brother?" A sense of dread built in the pit of his stomach as Karai's gaze dropped to his feet. "Was Denim there too? Did you contribute more to a high stress, frightening situation?" He leaned forward lowering his voice, but it did nothing to hide his frustration. "Say you didn't do that, Karai."

Her jaw worked, air rushing in and out through her nose. She lift her head, set stormy golden eyes on him. "I did. They need to prep-"

Leo slapped his hand against his thigh, the sound echoing through the dojo bringing whatever conversation Raph and Zoe were having to a halt. "You will apologize to them and unless either of them ask for details you will cease to contribute anymore fear to what they are going through. I love you, Karai but I can't-" He shook his head, struggling for words. "I don't always understand you. Unless this is about you and not them. I told you before..." He moved to kiss her head, but she turned away. "We can try again, whenever you're ready. Until then, if you can't support Mikey and Denim stay the hell away from them."

Karai swiped at blurry eyes, gave him a curt nod. "What about Mom and Dad?"

Leo inhaled deep then exhaled slow. "I'll talk to them later, when things have calmed down."

"That's what they said," she grumbled.

"Then it's settled." He motioned toward the dojo door. "You're class is here. Should I get Zoe to cover it- ahhh strike that. Do you want Raph to cover it? I've got to check my email. I'm expecting results from Donnie."

One perfectly arched eyebrow quirked at his backing off of Zoe. "Everything alright with, Z?"

Leo ignored her question. "Can you teach or not?"

Karai straightened. "I can teach." She stretched her neck. "But after that we're having a come-to-the-light with our parents."

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim held Mikey's hand about as tight as he was holding hers- that is she thought so until she started to lose feeling in her fingers.

"Mikey, uh-"

He ground to a halt as they stopped outside the building manager's door. It was the first thing either of them had said since fleeing the apartment like it was on fire.

Even Yuuta remained silent. His little dark eyes drifted from her to Mikey, to the door. He began to wiggle so Mikey put him down without a word, but his bright blue eyes never left hers.

Her heart clenched at his desperate attempt to conceal his fear. He was breathing a little too hard. She was no empath, but as she looked him over she noted his eyes were bloodshot. As he glanced in Yuuta's direction the corner of his eye twitched and she suspected he was getting a migraine. His grip on her hand tightened again as if he could squeeze their troubles out of her, or maybe keep them at bay.

"Mikey, you're squeezing my hand a little too hard," she said in a gentle voice, that she hoped wasn't condescending. He dropped her hand immediately.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" His eyes shot to her fingers but he hesitated to touch them again, and even back pedaled a bit.

"Hey-" She stepped toward him, hooking one finger around his to guide him closer. "I'm fine," she promised, holding her hand up, and wiggling her fingers. "See."

She stretched on tiptoe, reaching for the tails of his mask. He dropped his head toward her, his cool breath ghosting her neck. She smiled against the side of his face. "Let's take this off while we meet with the manager, okay?"

He was trembling, she noted, as he allowed her to remove the tattered orange cloth. She slipped it in his hand as she kissed his cheek, his eyes closing as her lips graced his skin. How she wished everything would just flow for once. The swell of her heart was great with him so close, but the ache of his nerves charged the air between them.

He inhaled as she pressed her brow to his, and she swallowed against the growing pressure in her throat. When she shifted to step back his hands flew up to her arms, and he pulled her against him, kissing her determinedly on the mouth.

Behind them Yuuta let out a disgusted squeak, to which Mikey and Denim let out a small laugh.

Yuuta darted around them, popped up, balancing on his tail and pressed the door buzzer.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Came a gruff disembodied voice.

Seconds later the door flew open. They were greeted by a stout, balding gentleman with a neat beard and tiny blue eyes. "What can I do ye for?" He belly laughed like he'd told an amazing joke and Mikey grinned.

One of Yuuta's ears twitched at the same time his head tilted to the side.

Denim recognized a fellow southerner, although she'd made sure she never indulged in the heavy accent. "Oh, my. What part of the south are you from?"

The man chuckled and his beer belly shook, reminding her of Santa Claus. "Tennessee." He winked at her as he leaned in a little closer than she was comfortable with. "How about you, little lady?"

"How did you-" Denim fumbled, searching her mind as to how she'd ever slipped the southern part of her in so few words.

Mikey snickered and Denim looked at him wide-eyed. He pressed his lips together and held up his hands.

Denim cleared her throat as Yuuta let out several little squeaks. "South Carolina. I'm Denim, this is my boyfriend Michelangelo, and this guy is his little brother Yuuta."

The man smiled, flashing a mouthful of graying teeth. "Oh, yes! I know Yuuta! Everything goin' alright for yas up there?"

Yuuta nodded.

"Well good." He looked at Mikey and thrust out his hand. Michelangelo readily accepted into the man's friendly handshake.

"Nice to meet ya. You another Hamato, huh? Nice folks upstairs. A little loud now and then, but nice folks." He gasped for breath. "Ma names Jonah Knox."

Mikey opened his mouth but Denim cut him off. "We understand you have an apartment available? We were hoping to see it."

If Mikey was going to make friends he could do it while she looked over the apartment, lest they'd be in the hall all day. Her stomach growled and she hoped it wasn't audible. Lunch would be needed and soon. She knew from her pregnancy with Alli not to let herself get hungry, that usually resulted in more nausea.

Jonah nodded emphatically. "Got two ready, actually. One downstairs and one with rooftop access. They just finished paintin' it yesterdy. Which one ya wantin ta see?"

She and Mikey answer in unison. "Rooftop access."

Much like most of the apartment buildings on their side of the city, there was no elevator. Denim knew Mikey wasn't thinking about her walking up and down seven flights nine months pregnant, but that was a temporary condition. Not one she wanted to base their best housing choice on. Phoenix would probably scold her, but what could she do if they already signed a lease?

There were too many benefits to a rooftop access apartment for her to not want to see it. As she debated what that stair climb would feel like after a day's work while pregnant, Jonah said something that surprised her.

"There's a service elevator down that hall. Let's take it. Mind ya don't use it except for movin' ya stuff in. Most folks don't even know it's back here. See'n it looks like a utility closet door."

Jonah huffed and puffed as he waddled toward the lone door at the end of the hall. He unlocked it and sure enough there was an elevator inside. Albeit with the squealing and creaking it put forth, the safety of it seemed questionable. Denim stepped in, standing close to Mikey who began peppering Jonah with questions.

"How many bedrooms are there? We're having a baby. We can get by with two, cas we already have a little girl, but three would be awesome!"

Jonah looked at Michelangelo, his expression unreadable until his gaze travelled over to Denim. "You be careful out there. The AFH has made ladies in yer condition a high priority."

"For what?" Denim and Mikey asked at the same time.

Jonah shrugged. "Don't really know. But it's all over the news. You should look into it. I didn't pay it no real mind beins I ain't a lady." He chuckled, but his tone had changed and it did not go unnoticed.

Mikey reached for Denim's hand, keeping her close as Jonah stopped before the last door at the end of the hall.

"Here it is." As the building manager opened the door the scent of fresh paint greeted them. Yuuta squeezed by Jonah, and bounded through the door scampering from room to room.

The first thing Denim noticed were the hardwood floors. They weren't spectacular, but they were far more than she'd ever had, especially when compared to threadbare carpet. The living room was cozy, much like Leo and Karai's. But Denim could imagine her little family snuggled up together watching a movie in it. I I wonder which couch we'll keep. I

Mikey wasn't even looking at the apartment, to engaged in cheerful banter with Jonah. Denim smiled. It was the most like himself he'd been in the past twenty-four hours. Good.

She liked the idea of having a real balcony and as she approached it she realized it had a very different view than his parent's place. An audible gasp fled her lips, bringing Mikey's conversation to an abrupt halt. How he managed to engage fully in a conversation and yet be so attuned to her she'd never know.

She struggled with the rusty latch to the door, until two green fingers flipped the lever and opened it for her. She glanced at him, her heart melting at the tenderness in his eyes. Her gaze shifted to the city before her. It was by no means a million dollar view, but again, way more than she'd expected. They were in a communal block of tenements and the building was as tall as if not more so than the rest, giving a decent view of the skyline.

She sucked on her bottom lip, catching it between her teeth. What was the rent on this unit? Had he said how many rooms it was? She tried to keep her hope in check. They probably couldn't afford it. Bracing herself for imminent disappointment she slipped by Mikey who'd returned to his Jonah chattering.

The kitchen was near identical to the other apartment except for one delightful feature. "Eeeee!" She let out an uncharacteristic squeal, bounding toward the little window above the sink.

Yuuta came scampering in, looking around the room as if she were under attack and he'd protect her. Were those hackles raised on the back of his little neck? She smiled at the rat pup as Mikey appeared in the doorway with Jonah right behind him.

"Isn't it the cutest thing ever? Just imagine a little window box of herbs right here!"

All three boys were staring at her, her cheeks heating as she slipped by them to explore the rest of the apartment. "It's cute, okay? Don't look at me like that."

She was pleased to find the hardwood throughout, but even more so that the apartment was three bedrooms... She stepped into the master immediately noticing a strange set of stairs behind a half-wall.

Trying to rein in her excitement, so she wouldn't be so disappointed when they realized there was no way they could afford the place, she opted to investigate the closets before the stairs. Only one closet turned out to be a master bath. Her heart fluttered at the idea of having her own bathroom. The fixtures were dated, and the linoleum peeling in the corners, but their own bathroom! She stepped in, closed the door and discovered a shower behind it. "Oh, wow. I wouldn't know what to do."

She gripped the counter top trying to push her down her rising energy, but she really wanted to squeal again. Then she heard a strange cracking sound, at the same time the marble corner of the vanity snapped off in her hand. "What the-"

After scrambling to balance the piece back in its space, she backed away careful not to bump it. _Had it been cracked and she didn't notice?_

She glanced at herself in the mirror. "I think it's time to explore that staircase, before you break anything else." As she closed the bathroom door behind her she almost ran into Yuuta. He grabbed her hand, near dragging her toward the steps, pointing and urging her up.

"You'll need a key," Jonah panted, rosy cheeked and seemingly in a fantastic mood from talking with Mikey.

Michelangelo hooked an arm around her waist, whispering in her ear. "What do you think?"

She turned her head, almost kissing him. "That we probably can't afford this place." She pat his arm and he released her so she could follow Jonah.

There were only five steps leading to a glass door at the top. Jonah went out first, then Yuuta squeezed by Denim. Just outside the door was a small, aged sunroom. It was just big enough for two lounge chairs and a bunch of flowers. Many of the glass panes were broken, some missing, and others cracked. The floor inside it was dirty and littered with broken pottery, but to Denim, it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Her breath hung trapped in her throat, and she struggled not to behave like a giddy teenager. "Okay, Mr. Knox, you're killing me here. What is the rent on this place?"

Jonah shrugged, but some of the color drained from his face. "Same as everyone else's. It's the only three bedroom, two bath in the building..." He rubbed the back of his head, looking around.

"We'll take it!" Mikey exclaimed at the same time Denim asked, "What's the catch?"

They looked at each other, smiled, then turned to Jonah and tried again. "What's the catch?"

Jonah grimaced. "We're not updating anything anytime soon. You can paint and fix it up anyway you like though. But you won't be reimbursed. Oh, and- uh- the guy that used ta live here died in that there master bedroom." He clucked his tongue and shrugged. "Suicide."

Denim looked toward the door. At first she wanted to balk at the idea, but she hadn't picked up on any negative energy.

Mikey wrapped his arms around her. "I don't have a problem with it. But it's up to you, Blue Jeans. I'll do whatever you want."

She wiggled so she faced him, her smile wide. "We'll take it."


	22. Chapter 21

Arcos sat on the high rise alone, waiting for his family to arrive, dragging his pencil across the paper lazily. The skyline of New York City was beautiful, an array of shadows that jagged their way about the horizon in every direction. He mimicked what he saw with his paw, making a gray duplicate on the large piece of white paper.

As he was leaving home, the TV in the common room caught his attention. "...Paid for by Americans for Humanity." He groaned and rolled his eyes.

One of his human loftmates looked over the couch at him, "Where are you going?"

"Just out," he said. It was early yet to meet his family for patrol, but needed to move, and at least getting to their meeting place would get him moving.

"Out where?" asked another one, also human.

It was then that Arcos noticed that the other three of the mutants he shared the loft with weren't there at the moment. "Just out, to draw," he held up the pencil and sketch pad.

"Every night?" he asked.

"A lot of nights," Arcos dropped his voice. "I like to draw and paint at night." This line of questioning was making his uncomfortable.

"You're not..." his two roommates looked at each other nervously, "stalking Jennifer, are you?"

Arcos let out a low growl, "No," he answered slowly, turning and walking out.

Stalking Jennifer...why the hell would he want to do that? After... _Don't go there._ He brought his eyes back up to the skyline.

"You're here early," Leo's voice drifted from behind him.

He gasped, "I hate it when you do that." As always, whether he was distracted or not, he hadn't heard a sound.

TSOTCTSOTC

Medusa had a hard time fitting in confined spaces. She could fit her head in most places, and a good half of her body, but once she got where her 'hips' might have been, there was no way she was fitting in a human sized space. Or most mutant sized spaces. She didn't resent it, she'd had to deal with it her entire life, and knew many mutants who had the same problem. But it was inconvenient.

Like tonight.

Dreadlocks was doing his reading at a little cafe, that was just like something out of a artsy movie. It was smoky, with a mist machine creating the ambiance of an old bar. It was jam packed with little round tables, each having two or four chairs about them, with a stage in the back for the live entertainment. Several mutants and humans were already sitting, alcoholic beverages in hand. There was no way that she was able to 'sit' at a table, her body took up entirely too much room, it blocked anyone else from going by. She'd finally ended up in a corner, wrapped around herself.

Behind a good three heads taller than everyone else in the place, despite her 'sitting' position, she caught sight of Dreadlocks right away. He scanned the room, and when he saw her, his face broke out in a huge grin. Dressed in a leather jacket, black t shirt and jeans, he grabbed the nearest table as he approached her, and pulled it to her, so that she was now 'seated' at a table. "You don't have a drink?" he asked.

She shook her head, "Not tonight," she said.

"You only drink on certain nights?" He swung a chair around and sat across from her.

"I don't drink after a night like last night, no."

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho held her body rigid in the uncomfortable office chair that came with the hotel room all with their completely non-ergonomic desk. Normally she wouldn't have cared, but as she was currently trying very hard not to pull on her stitches it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. The slices across her hip had already sealed, a benefit of her pseudo-skin, but the gouges in her side were all the real her, traditionally slow healing, vocal nerve endings and all. At least she hadn't needed any internal stitches. Returning to HQ in failure was always an intentionally unpleasant experience. As things stood, she'd just smeared on some lidocaine and sewed herself up, a simple procedure that would add yet another scar to her already blemished torso, contrasting starkly with her pristine limbs.

In any case, it looked like she'd be off mission for a bit. Not that it mattered. She had a plan now. April was completely inaccessible while in the protection of her rather formidable family, but she regularly visited her biological father at his shop, more often than not, completely unaccompanied. It was the perfect security loophole, but Sappho honestly couldn't muster any enthusiasm. Recuperating gave her an excellent excuse to postpone the inevitable, but that didn't mean she cared to complete her task now or ever. Not that there was a choice. One did not refuse her employers.

An image of the rogue hybrid came unbidden to her mind and she shook her head. That woman wasn't free. Not really. And now a new life would be taken down with her. Sappho cringed as she recalled her complicity in that circumstance. With a deep breath, she boxed her emotions away. They could only make her existence more difficult.

After patching herself up, she'd spent the better part of the morning, researching the Hamato clan in depth before writing up and sending off her report. She'd surprised herself with her reticence. There was a good deal that was too publicly known for her to hedge on, but she'd kept back what she could. The most significant detail being the clan matriarch. Known as the Phoenix on the streets, she appeared to be some kind of holistic healer, though her clientele was mostly invisible to society. There were a handful of people who'd made mention of her online in obscure forum posts and the like, but she was mostly shrouded in mystery. The little Sappho read had caught her radar, despite how easily the commenters could be dismissed as gullible. By all rights, Sappho should have reported her for investigation as a potential Kraang legacy case. But she'd held back, pretending she'd never found the information. It was a tricky gambit. If anyone reviewed her ocular logs for the day, she'd be brought in for questioning, but she couldn't stomach the thought of bringing any more heat down on the family. Not while she felt so conflicted over it anyway. Damn emotions.

After completing her report, the sensible thing to do would have been to sleep and heal. Despite her all-nighter, she wasn't looking forward to another visit from the girl who died in the fire. And so, she'd remained awake, spooling through the website of Arcos Hamato, the bear mutant who inexplicably compromised her judgment. If anyone asked, she could always play it off as additional research. No one need know her interest was personal.

She'd never really given art much thought before, assuming that it was merely another impractical status symbol for individuals with more money than they knew what to do with. Now, as she sifted through the scanned images of sketches and paintings, she questioned that presumption. For the first time, it occurred to her that art might add something meaningful to world. After a Spartan existence founded in utility and efficiency, she discovered a hunger in herself for the beauty Arcos had created. It was...unsettling.

Her sensitive hearing picked up the sound of a key card sliding through the lock of her hotel room door. She shut the laptop down with a keystroke and, ignoring the protest in her side, darted out of the chair to take cover behind the bed farthest from the door. Drawing her service pistol from its holster, she pressed up against the corner of the bed and waited as the door swung open. No one entered. Then she heard a voice that froze her blood.

"Kayte. Stand down before we both end up with an unreasonable amount of paperwork."

Feeling as stiff and jerky as a marionette, she tucked her firearm away and stood, her face automatically falling into an expressionless mask. "My designation is K8, not Kayte." Her monotonous voice sounded mechanical to her own ears.

He entered her room with that same creepy leer he always reserved for her. The best defense was to be as unresponsive as possible. Any type of reaction would only encourage him and she'd seen the kinds of things he was capable of with encouragement. The memory caused and internal shudder, she'd long ago learned to suppress from physically manifesting. Now she needed to be the automotan that she was supposed to be.

He looked the same as always. Thick black hair, cut close to his head. Brown irises so dark they were hard to differentiate from his pupils. Rough cut features on a hard worn face and leathery skin. Despite being of average height and build for a man, he was among the more distinctive among them in appearance. She often wondered if he kept his original features or designed the way he wanted to look. Being one of the very few who'd actively volunteered for the program, it was possible. Becoming a cybernetic super soldier probably would have been viewed as a career promotion for the sociopathic, professional mercenary. They all did what they had to do, but he enjoyed his work. Immensely.

She forced her body still as his gaze slowly traveled over her, his eerie smile widening. "Don't be so stiff Kayte. There's no reason we can't have a little fun with our designations. Don't tell me your satisfied with that label you've been given?"

No. She wasn't. But K8 was better than anything he could choose to call her. Besides, she already had her own secret name that neither he nor the EDF ever need know about.

 _"Ah, there is my lovely Sappho."_

 _She lifted her head off the steel examination table as the olive skinned scientist puttered around her. The lab coat contrasted with his unruly, thick black curls and twinkling dark eyes._

 _"You must be confused. My designation is K8."_

 _He smiled kindly as he began running the diagnostic scan. "But I have seen the recordings of your training program. Pure poetry. You are graceful, like a dancer. And so you are my Sappho."_

 _Despite herself, she felt her mouth twitch up almost into a smile as the words spoken in an accent she couldn't identify. Sappho. There was something appealing about it._

She swallowed back the memory as it would do her no good now. She'd never seen that technician again, as he was probably too much of a real person to be working for the EDF. But she'd kept the gift he given her. Something that was just hers.

Keeping her focus on him, she responded as woodenly as before. "It is more professional to address each other by our assigned designations, K2."

His smile slipped some. "One of these days, I'll get you to address me as Keytoh." There was a dark undercurrent to the superficially innocuous comment that put her on edge. Sooner or later, he'd push this game too far.

Behind him another man entered the room, slightly taller than K2. His blonde hair was longer than K2's and appeared gelled up into the same style as every fifth guy she saw on the street. His face had been given the long solid features common to people of northern European descent. Pale blue eyes took in her room, giving her the same level of examination as any other inanimate object in the room. HIs blank expression gave away nothing, although whether that was because he was fresh from the training and behavioral conditioning or as a defense mechanism for tolerating his colleague, she couldn't yet tell.

Her eyes flicked back to K2. "An additional agent?"

K2's smile returned at the voluntary interaction. "Yes. Meet Keysiv, the newest addition to our ranks, fresh out of training. I'm breaking him in."

She tried not to think about the implications of that. Although there hadn't been much too her at the completion of her training, she known without doubt that she wanted to avoid K2 at all costs. Being forced into being his subordinate could not be a pleasant experience. Then again, there might not be enough left of this man to care. That happened sometimes, depending on the extent of damage to the source material.

Doing a quick mental calculation, based on what she recalled of their roster, she turned back to the new agent. "K76?"

"K8." He acknowledged in return, giving no indication of personhood beneath the blank exterior.

There weren't actually seventy six of them. Not even close. But the process of creating them. did not have a very high rate of success. But it was still considered worth it to the organization as the ones who made it finished product tended to exceed expectations in terms of performance.

K2 mock pouted. "Stop stealing my fun. I've been waiting forever to revive that nickname."

She blocked the memory before it could force a reaction out of her. Every time a subject rejected the cybernetics, the result was...unpleasant. But K7's had been extreme enough to be memorable. Of course K2 would want a way to keep bringing it up. But she wouldn't play into his game.

K2 frowned a bit at her stony expression. If he was disappointed that she hadn't given him anything, he got over it quickly, choosing to get down to business.

"I've read through your report."

Oh no. He'd been given the hybrid and offspring case. It shouldn't have surprised her. His specialty was hunting down mutants for the Mutation-Tech Division and he was very good at it. She suspected they really wanted that rogue and her child. It shouldn't have surprised her that they sent their best and most ruthless. With even controlled breathing, she hid the pity that speared through her. That poor woman and child.

"The family presents an interesting challenge. I'd like to have some fun with it, but the EDF is chomping at the bit to get their hands on the targets, so efficient it will have to be. I'm thinking the new humans will probably be the easiest point of access to strike from, that woman and her daughter."

Sappho forced the distaste she felt, not to show in her voice as she spoke. "That sounds logical. I don't see why you're here or telling me this. I have my own case to work."

K2's leer returned full force and she realized belatedly that she'd done exactly what he hoped she would.

"Well, of course you haven't been informed as I requested the privilege of telling you in person. April O'Neil is on the back burner for the moment. You know it takes those scientists forever to pull apart and make sense of Kraang Legacy subjects, assuming they ever figure them out at all. The EDF wants the rogue hybrid and its mutant offspring. That is top priority right now. And like Keysiv, you have been assigned under my command towards the accomplishment of this goal. So welcome to the team Kayte."

Oh no.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim was getting way too familiar with Mikey's parents bathroom. She'd rather struggle with what seemed to be evening sickness in her own home. But Mikey wanted her close to Phoenix. It was helpful that there were three additional adults to ensure Alli was fed and entertained while she struggled to keep down her dinner. She'd been napping on their couch, while Mikey, Alli, Anton and Yuuta watched a movie. It happened when he made popcorn and had just set it on the table. She thought it sounded delicious, but when the scent hit her nostrils her stomach lurched. With one hand over her mouth, she'd managed to scramble from the couch, bolting for the bathroom before she lost it.

No sooner had she sank back on her haunches, grateful to be able to breathe, she heard Mikey knocking on his parents door across the hall.

Then Phoenix was there, holding her hair while she rest a cool hand on the back of her neck. The woman had a magical touch and Denim was grateful, even if she and Mikey had received a thorough scolding for the apartment choice.

"It's not that I didn't know the other unit was available. You don't need to be walking up and down those stairs." Phoenix had scowled at them both, and Denim felt a little remorse at disappointing her. That is until the older woman lifted her eyebrows and murmured something about loving the idea of a sunroom.

Then Mikey mentioned the service elevator and some semblance of agreement came to pass. It helped that they'd already signed a lease so there was little to do beyond move in.

Once they were fairly certain she wouldn't be sick again Phoenix pointed her to Leo and Karai's room. The other couple had gone from the dojo straight on to patrol and at the moment she'd wanted to rest, so she'd accepted the offer and sank gratefully beneath the covers.

Right as she started to doze off she heard Mikey's phone 'dum, de-da, da, dum' announcing an incoming text. This was strange because he was in the living room with the kids. She lifted her head, glancing at the night stand finding the orange-shell shaped device jittering in place.

"Oh, I must've grabbed his instead of mine." She picked it up, trying not to read the message on the screen, but she worried it might be Donnie and something about their baby. They'd yet to hear from the genius and she'd noticed Mikey checking his phone ever so often. He'd placed it on the coffee table beside hers between checks, that must've been when she picked it up.

Leo: Is Denim well enough that you can patrol tonight?

She chewed on her lip as she tapped the phone back and forth in her palm. "I feel good enough I could cover all your butts on patrol."

It was a lie. She knew it as her feet hit the floor. Even as the room spun a bit and her stomach churned, she knew she wasn't fooling even herself. But Mikey didn't need to stay behind and take care of her. She could call for Phoenix just as well as he could. She didn't want them thinking she held him back. Even worse, she didn't want him thinking it.

"Enough is enough. I'm not an invelent and I'm going to prove it."

She swiped the screen and pecked out a reply.

Mikey: Yep. Where?

She made her way to the bedroom window, and wasn't surprised to find the fire escape outside it. Mikey had told her that prior to mutant citizenship fire escapes by night had been a primary method of visiting humans. Of course Leo would pick this room. The phone vibrated in the pocket of her pajama bottoms as she flipped the window latch, careful not to let it click.

Once on the escape she couldn't get the window to shut again without fear of it slamming, so she left it open.

She would show the lot of them that she wasn't going to break. Hell, she'd been in the heat of battle pregnant before. Not that it had turned out well for Kyle, but she had made it.

She made her way down the escape, stopping twice. Once when she thought she might be sick and another time when the ground seemed to tilt up toward her in a strange swirly way. It was like the back of her head spin in the opposite direction and she'd closed her eyes half wanting to go back to bed.

But that would just prove them right about the frail, weak human in their midst. Denim's teeth clenched together as her feet hit the ground. She was anything but a delicate flower.

Checking the phone she read Leo's instructions, pleased that the meeting spot was close to her apartment where she could change clothes and arm herself.

Leo: Warehouse district, rooftop of #34 in thirty minutes.

What would her orange-clad love say to that? She typed her reply and hit send.

Mikey: Right on.

Now, to hail a cab and hope she didn't toss her cookies on the way to her old place.

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe stared out over the black churning waters of the Hudson, a slight golden blur radiating from the myriad of beautiful lights. She loved the city, her freedom, and her family. She could not however appreciate her temper and she was pretty sure after an afternoon of nonstop bickering, neither did her mate.

She was certain Leo had told him of her inability to clear her mind, made obvious by her frequent huffs and sighs throughout the one hour meditation. As an empath Zoe could touch someone and read their emotions. Her doing so however was frowned upon among her family members as she was encouraged to simply talk and ask questions. But curiosity had gotten the better of her that afternoon and she'd pretended to bump into Leo so she could sneak a read of their leader.

That few seconds about gave her a migraine. How did he manage to keep such a clear and focused head with all the turmoil of worry going on inside him? Whatever it was she'd do well to work harder at being more like him instead of the growing well of fury that wanted to find her enemies base and commit downright slaughter. But where were they? Who had they sent, and what was she up against now?

"You ready to kick some tail?" Karai came alongside her. "I know I need to blow off some steam."

Zoe's gaze drifted from the passing barge to the empty alley below. For whatever reason it was a known meeting place for city low-life. They'd busted everything from pimps, drug dealers, thieves and home invading aliens in that alley and they never learned. Every week some mix of them would return. Odds were good that Leo was hoping to rough up the right people for information, but he wouldn't choose her to do it. Not with her current state of mind.

She shrugged her reply to Karai's question.

"He's not going to send me in first either, Zoe." Karai glanced in Leo's direction. "He's mad at me for trying to get Michelangelo and Denim to face reality, and for getting in an argument with mother and father."

Zoe eyed the car creeping down the main street, pausing to let three women out. "What happened with mom and dad?"

"Mom apparently almost died when she was pregnant with Yuuta." Karai's tone left nothing to be misinterpreted. She crossed her arms, watching the girls line up on the street corner. "But neither of them saw fit to let any of us know."

Before Zoe could give her opinion on the matter, Raph appeared in her periphery. "Anyone roughs those girls up you let me know. I don't want you going down there on your own."

He was talking to her, but Karai's reply in the form of a snort expressed her opinion of his orders. Neither of them would be taking any.

Leo strode towards them, impossibly silent as he was. "Karai, Zoe clear the girls out then take their places as bait." Raph opened his mouth to argue but Leo held up a hand. "We'll be right here and they can defend themselves. Those girls don't need to be here tonight."

Zoe was thrilled Leo had proven both she and Karai wrong as she followed her friend down the fire escape. She fished in her pocket for the hundred they'd pay the girls to leave and tell them grab a bite to eat with. Only as they approached the trio their faces blurred into focus. Zoe lifted her fingers from her front pocket, reaching into her back to find her tessen.

Karai just steps ahead of her already had her tanto in hand.


	23. Chapter 22

Phoenix snuck a kiss to Splinter when no one was watching, tender and secret-she'd been getting more than her normal share of those lately with children being occupied by people other than her. The boiled water for her herbal preparation was steaming, she lowered the temperature on the stove, set the bitter herbs to a simmer, and went to check on Denim. Opening the door a crack, she poked her head in, only to find Leo and Karai's bed empty. With the window open, the curtains blew in the breeze, and Phoenix took in a deep breath.

Like hell someone was going to sneak out on _her_. "Mikey!" she called. "Denim's gone!"

Her son was at her side in a heartbeat, so was his father, but she blocked the door, so neither could enter the room.

"Where did she go?" Phoenix demanded.

"Uh, I don't know!" Mikey looked utterly shocked, as if the only way to explain her disappearance was that aliens came down and lifted her away.

"Where would she go?" his mother's voice was very quiet.

"I don't know!" Mikey raised his hand and tried to push past her into the room, but she smacked him in the head. "Let me call her," he said, like the whap had put the thought in his head. He ran out of the door way.

Phoenix looked at Splinter with her lips pursed tightly together. Her husband raised a white eyebrow.

"My phone's gone!" Mikey's bright blue eyes were wide in panic.

"Use Gr'mere's to call her," Anton suggested, his voice bordering on sarcastic.

"Her phone is here!" Mikey lifted said phone for all to see.

Yuuta squeaked.

"Maybe she went to our apartment, Daddy," Alli suggested.

"I doubt it," Phoenix muttered. "Fire escapes aren't usually the path of choice to one's home when an elevator is available."

"Maybe she went to fire guns with everyone else," Alli said then.

"Yeah," Anton chimed in. "I wish I could fire guns," he said softly.

"In time, you will fire a blowgun," Splinter said, as if it were a phrase he had used 1000 times.

Mikey moaned. "She went on patrol..." Again he made a move to the window, only to be smacked again by his mother. "Hey!" He rubbed his head. "Wha'd I do for that one?"

"Where were they meeting for patrol?" she asked sharply.

"Phoebe," Splinter began.

She gave him a nasty look, and he shook his head, looking at Mikey compassionately.

"Where?" she demanded. When Mikey didn't answer right away, she said, "Don't make me call Arcos to sniff her out!"

"The regular place," he said.

"The regular place?" she asked. "Don't you people think of anything new?"

"We're not the ones who don't think of anything new!" he protested.

"Anton, sweetheart, go get Grandmere her knife and slingshot," she said sweetly.

"What are you doing?" Mikey asked when Anton skuttled off to do what he was asked. When she didn't answer right away, he turned to his father, "Sensei, what is doing?"

"I'm going after Denim," she said in huff.

"I can do that!" Mikey scrambled to get to the window.

"No you can't," Anton said, handing Phoenix her weapons. "Gr'mere said she's doing it."

Splinter nodded sagely. While the little turtle might have his father's looks and temper, he caught on quicker than Raph. And Mikey, too, apparently.

The dark green turtle-tot took Alli's hand and led her from the room, popping a piece of popcorn into his mouth. "C'mon, Uncle Mikey. Come watch the movie." It sounded more like a command from Raph than a request from little Antonello.

As Phoenix went to the open window, she muttered, "She couldn't have gotten that far. She'll have to stop to vomit every once in a while," before disappearing into the night.

"Is she gonna kill her?" Mikey asked, his eyes still wide.

"Since has yet to murder any of you, I doubt it," Splinter replied, closing the window.

Yuuta squeaked.

"I think you are correct, my youngest son," said the rat mutant. "When your mother finds her, Denim will, indeed, be grounded for long time."

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey stared at the now closed window that his mother, and apparently Denim, had exited through, practically vibrating with nervous energy. He had to do something, but knew better than to cross his mother. Raph's tempers paled in comparison to his mom's. But if he just stood there doing nothing, he was pretty sure he would explode. Donnie might say there were a bunch of reasons why that would be impossible, but he could feel it. Too much longer and it would be KABOOM. What would Leo do?

Leo! Of course!

He fumbled Denim's phone out of his belt and speed dialed his brother.

"Denim? I know that you probably aren't thrilled about Mikey patrolling tonight..."

"Leo it's me." He gripped the phone tightly as he interrupted his brother.

"Mikey? What are you doing with Denim's phone?"

He hated when Leo got all methodical and investigative. There was no time for wasting now. "We accidentally switched phones. She's gone, Leo. Disappeared out the window while we thought she was resting." Leo groaned but didn't get a chance to say anything as Mikey barreled forward. "Mom's mad and out hunting her, and I don't know what to do."

"Calm down." He could almost visualize Leo in front of him holding his hand palm out as he spoke. Mikey's breathing evened out and he listened. "Given how she answered the texts, pretending to be you, I suspect she's probably headed here. I should've suspected something when you were asking for the location, but..."

"...but it's me and that's totally something I'd do." Mikey added dejectedly before Leo could rephrase it more softly.

Leo cleared his throat. "Anyway, if she's decided to fill in for you on patrol, she's likely stopping home first to gear up. Can you get here fast?"

"Sure, Sensei's can handle the kids on his own." Mikey ignored the way his father's ears flattened at that, knowing he was probably going to pay for it later.

"Good. Get here ASAP and we'll try to intercept her on her way from her place..." Mikey waited in puzzlement as his brother paused. "...I need to go." The phone went dead after his brother had switched to the 'something is wrong' tone of voice.

"Leo? Leo!" Unsurprisingly, there was no answer. Mikey looked up at his father in panic.

The old rat seemed to have caught the gist of the situation. "Go, my son."

Mikey was out the door before he even finished speaking.

TSOTCTSOTC

As she'd neared the trio of girls, something had started nagging at Karai's mind. Something familiar. Then she'd caught the edges of a purple dragon tattoo snaking around from the back of one of the girls' throats. Trap.

Determined not to be caught flat-footed, she immediately picked up the pace and drew her tanto. Leo would kick up a fuss about, but if she and Zoe were now in the center of an ambush, using the bait girls as shields and possible hostages was there best chance until their backup, sadly consisting only of Leo Arcos and Raph, were able to move into position. Maybe convincing Leo not to press everyone into service tonight wasn't the best idea. Hell, maybe they should have called up Jones too. If nothing else, he had a knack for making himself a target.

As she got within range, the girls dropped the act, revealing the metal chain, lead pipe and switchblade they'd been concealing. Using the momentum of her charge, she dropped into a slide to evade the arc of the swinging chain and take it's wielder's legs out from under her, willing her skin to scales to protect her from the abrasive pavement.

Pushing off the ground with her free hand, she lashed out with her legs, one kick sending the pipe flying while the other plowed into the girl's chest, knocking her on her ass as Karai rolled back onto her shoulders and flip back to her feet in a single arching motion. Holding her blade threatening out towards the glaring Dragons she'd taken down, she noted that Zoe had already handled switchblade.

Stepping out from from several of the poorly lit allies surrounding them were at least fifty Dragons, armed to the teeth. It was as though the entire gang was out and waiting for them. And unless she missed her guess, some of them had guns. Damn. These were not good odds. Especially as they seemed completely content to sacrifice their bait. Karai gritted her teeth, knowing that Leo and her brothers would be joining the fray shortly and that it might not be enough. No matter what, she wasn't going down easy.

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho stared at the live feed K2 had pulled up on his laptop, hiding the storm of her emotions behind a blank mask. She'd been determined to endure whatever it was he had planned in stoic silence. The scene unfolding before her broke that promise she'd made to herself.

"What's this?"

K2 glanced over at her, obviously pleased. "All good applications of tactics are founded in a study of the quarry. This group has been on the watchlist for some time and I'd like to see just what they are capable of. If we lose a few of the expendable ones in the process, all the better."

Her eyes narrowed, despite her best intentions. "And if you lose the rogue hybrid?"

He shrugged. "Then she wasn't worth retrieving. Her offspring is the real prize here. With it we might be able to merge the BioGen and Mutant Tech divisions."

Knowing it was what he wanted, she found herself asking anyway. "How did you even orchestrate this?"

His dark smile caused her to suppress a shudder. "Why? Jealous?"

She clamped her jaw shut, refusing to be baited.

When he saw she wasn't going to bite, he resumed his bragging. "They are a suspected vigilante group and this area has quite the history of having criminals left practically gift wrapped for the police, so I concluded it was their hunting ground. Police brought in some local crime lord and his cronies last night. Before dropping in to greet you, we swung by the station and arranged for the underlings to be released with some very specific orders from their boss. As long as Attilla remains in lock up, then gang keeps on following my orders with no one the wiser. Didn't expect to haul in a catch on the first night. The quarry is more predictable than I thought."

"Hun."

They both turned at the sound K67's voice.

"What?" K2 spat, clearly not pleased to be interrupted while monologuing.

If K67 was intimidated, he didn't show it. "The gang leader's alias was Hun, not Attilla."

K2 glared. "You are giving the petty crime lord way too much consideration."

The sound of gun shots drew Sappho's attention back to the live feed. Her heart about stopped as she caught the figure of Arcos moving along the edge of the screen. The artist was in the crucible now and all she could do was watch helplessly. She hated this.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim stopped the driver more than once when she thought she'd lose it. She was fairly certain he was growing impatient with her the second time when she actually opened the car door and retched.

But that was twenty-five minutes ago. Since then she'd slipped into her night gear, armed herself with her tranq gun, and her smallest sniper rifle for good measure. She only needed to be within 500 feet of the warehouse, but she was both winded and light headed from carrying the gear as she scaled the fire escape.

As she clung to the railing, struggling to stop what would simply be fruitless gagging, she spied heavy activity near the meeting point. Grabbing a pair of binoculars she got a better look at the incoming.

"Shit. Dragons." She hauled herself onto the rooftop, her fingers already reaching for the zipper on her bag. As she set it down, giving it a firm tug the zipper separated from the fabric. "What the-" A massive wave of nausea crashed over her and she sank to her knees, breathing in and out as the rooftop tilted. "Not now baby, not now. Oh, please."

Thankfully, a cool breeze wafted over the back of her neck taking with it the worst of her distress but it left her skin damp and clammy. "I can do this," she chanted, shivering as she pulled her gear from the ripped bag and set herself up.

Mikey had taken up the role of her spotter on occasion, but she didn't need one at this shorter range. She swallowed the bitter taste of stomach acid, promising herself, "I can do this."

She peered through her scope, lined up her first shot and started picking off anyone holding a gun. "One...two...three, don't mess with my family."

As she dropped a target near Leo she noticed the tilt of his head in her direction. There was one Cardinal rule that only Mikey had ever broken when they worked with her. Don't look at where the sniper is hiding. That is assuming they knew, but after working with her for a while, and being the ninja they were, they learned.

There were four things Denim wasn't prepared for. The first being everything becoming blurry. Her hand began to tremble and she worked hard at regulating her heartbeat. When she fired her next shot and hit the tattooed girl in the leg instead of the chest she cursed. But when she did it again, she caught her next targets comrade scouting her location.

Second came his counter fire, a rain of bullets spraying across windows below her position. He'd aimed too low, but way too close. The third and fourth surprises came in the form of the near synchronized arrival of two different parties on her rooftop. Then two very familiar voices attempted to speak over each other.

"Don't worry about me! Get down there and help them!" Denim shouted over both Phoenix and Michelangelo without looking back. She rolled to her belly and took aim.

TSOTCTSOTC

As she fired, Denim felts bullets whizzing by her head, but not coming toward her-they were following her tranq dart. She turned to see Mikey jumping and dodging the tiny projectiles headed their way, and Phoenix sinking to the rooftop in a slide, an ornate slingshot in her hand. In a flash, three casings, crimped at the ends, were in between the old woman's fingers. She popped up, fired away, and then ducked back down, her head against Denim's. 

"You are in so much trouble when we get back, young lady," she seethed. Her dark green eyes, almost the same color and Raph's and Anton's were mere slits, and her little pink mouth was wrinkled and puckered as she glared. 

She popped up again, firing another round of bullets into the crowd of Dragons below. Denim followed her, seeing the two of the hit home in someone's chest and throat, sending blood splattering. 

"I don't know what kind of operation you were under beforehand," Phoenix continued, as if they hadn't just fired upon people and were having a mother to daughter talk in the park, "but if you are under my care, then you will do what I say. I will _not_ be have patient non-compliance in my own household, with my own family." 

Again, she rose to fire, only to sink down as a ray of bullets hit the roof ledge just below them. 

"Chaoxiang Huon," she screamed to the people below, "Does your momma know where you are?!" 

"Shit," said a young male voice from below. 

"You stay here," she poked her finger in Denim's face. "And stay down. And don't barf. You hear me?" 

Then the little old lady was gone, bouncing around like a frog as she dodged bullets on her way down to the alley to join in the fray.

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo cursed himself inwardly as he plowed through the crowd of dragons. Tonight was a colossal mess and he had no one to blame but himself. He'd been completely off his stride since last night. The triple blow of his student's betrayal, their family's mystery hunter and his new sister's life threatening predicament had taken more of a psychological toll than he'd been willing to admit and he'd made mistakes.

Everyone should have been out tonight, everyone except Denim who naturally had decided to show up anyway because the night wasn't already FUBAR enough. He shouldn't have allowed excuses, but he had. And he'd been predictable. This was their usual hunting ground. Apparently they struck here enough that even the Dragons knew to lay an ambush for them. If they were hunting a hunter, they absolutely could not afford to be that predictable. Too many mistakes.

And he'd been distracted enough to send Zoe and Karai straight into the heart of the ambush. If he'd taken the time to properly assess the situation instead of making assumptions, they could have been the ones doing the ambushing instead of stumbling head long into what was now an embarrassingly obvious trap.

But his mind had been on the conversation awaiting him at home. It shouldn't have surprised him, shouldn't have hurt him, that his mother had kept her secrets. He knew she was a very private person and was not inclined to show weakness. And his father would never have betrayed her trust by sharing those secrets without her permission. And knowing how close he'd come to losing both his mother and baby brother was in fact the opposite of comforting. It was all reasonable and he had no right to be upset. Unfortunately, emotions weren't ruled by reason and he'd spent most of the day barely keeping the raging storm concealed. Too bad he'd allowed it to compromise his judgment anyway.

A tranq dart hit one of the dragons, charging him from behind with an aluminum bat, while he fended off three others, evading their lethal attacks while responding with the least destructive possible take downs, though they way this fight was going he might not be able to allow himself the luxury of holding back.

The darted Dragon instantly collapsed to the ground in a heap and he restrained the impulse to look at Denim. Giving away her location would be his coup de gras of screw ups for the evening.

When the next dart hit another Dragon in the thigh, he knew something was wrong. Denim targeted the torso and she never missed. At least not when she wasn't cripplingly ill. Great. There was no way they could fight off this crowd with the numbers they had and protect her. And of course, after that last shot, the Dragons now had a bead on her location. Every remaining firearm in the group was pointed her way. The only saving grace was that they'd all apparently learned to shoot from movies.

He needed to break free of his current melee and take the guns out of the equation, but there was no easy way to extract himself from the group mobbing him.

"Booyakabumga!"

Mikey landed in the crowd beside him like a meteor, bludgeon the lot into submission with the speed, grace and unpredictably that had always driven his brother's nuts while training with him.

Leo saw one of the shooters target Mikey, as his little brother...oh shell was he moonwalking? He tackled Mikey, feeling the bullet ricochet off his shell an instant after colliding against his brother.

"Never victory dance if the battle isn't over!"

Mikey grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, bro."

Leo shook his head. "Never mind. We need to take down the gunmen. Now."

Mikey gave him a wink as he hopped to his feet. "On it, bro."

As he tore loudly into the center of the fray, pulling all attention to himself like a magnet, Leo slipped into the shadows and released a handful of carefully targeted shruiken, seeing Raph, mirror the tactic from across the battlefield. With a small smile, he sighed. No more gunmen. At least something was going right.

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe's muscles were burning, fatigue of a fight gone on too long warning her limits. She wasn't made for endurance. Never had been. She and Karai covered each other, back to back, striking, blocking and regrouping in well practiced sync.

Her latest attacker wield his butterfly knife with sloppy form. That was saying something, as Zoe's weakest weapon was just that. With a swipe of her tessen she blocked him. At the same time a tranq dart landed in the thigh of a guy to her left where Leo was working his way through. _Denim? Wasn't she at home? What the hell was she doing here? And how did she miss that?_

"Zoe! Look out!" Arcos's deep baritone rumbled through her chest as he rushed toward her, bodies peeling away from him like bowling pins.

She spun in a circle checking to see if she'd left herself open. Karai seemed to be making some headway on her right. As she looked behind her a shot fired. In that same fraction of a second her great bear brother tackled her. Her lungs were flattened as he shielded her.

"Are you okay?" Arcos ground out.

Zoe resisted the urge to panic, but between struggling for breath and the strained tone of her brothers voice she needed back on her feet. Her lungs were locked flat, and the weight of her brother growing heavier by the second wasn't helping. _Was he hit? No. Please, please just be grazed. Please._

She lifted a hand to his fur, his energy jolting up through her fingers, coursing throughout. Her lips parted to scream, but as no air was getting in, there was nothing to force out.


	24. Chapter 23

At first Karai was enjoying the workout. She'd had a crap day and a shit ton of frustration to work out. That was at the start of the fight. At this point even she was feeling the burn.

She hadn't missed Denim's arrival, bodies dropping without being touched. To the layman it would appear random. Karai however knew her sister's marks were strategic. Anyone holding a gun would go first. But what the hell was she doing there?

She spied Leo and Raph slipping into shadow on either side of the fray, while Michelangelo plunged into the thick of it. Sweat dripped in her eyes and she swiped her brow with the back of her arm, then thrust forward to effectively block her opponents strike.

Another dragon landed a flying kick to her side and she tumbled back from the force of the blow. Her teeth ground together as she let out a pained grunt. Getting to her feet she was suddenly splattered with blood as two dragons moving in on her fell. She zeroed in on the shell casings bouncing off the pavement by their feet. _Mother_.

 _Oh, if Mother is here she's after Denim. Someone is in big trouble. Well, if the sniper-girl didn't understand how dire her situation was before she will now._

"Zoe! Look out!" Arcos shouted, barreling past Karai, toward Zoe.

Karai didn't look. She knew better than that. The best thing she could do was clear the area around whatever was going on behind her. So she leapt back in the fight, noting the majority of the gun-toting jerks were down. As she landed the heel of her boot across a dragon's nose she heard the gun shot.

That was the thing about fighting alongside family. When bones broke, she knew it, she knew it was one of them, and without looking. When a bullet was bound for family she knew that too. Because she felt it in the sick twisting of her stomach. That sound, rung in her ears, recoiled through the alley and punched her in the gut all at the same time.

That's when she looked.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim wiped at her eyes, willing them to be clear. She exercised every technique she knew in an effort to stop her shaking hands, pounding heart and churning stomach.

There were still nearly twenty dragons down there. Even as Leo and Raph dropped the last of the gun wielding, there was still work to be done. She reloaded her weapon, dropping as many darts on the rooftop as she managed to feed into the chamber. What the hell had she been thinking? Gods Phoenix was pissed at her. And Leo would be pissed at her. And what about Mikey? Why had she let the whole weak little human thing bother her so much? It seemed stupid now. Her actions... Reckless. The same kind of stupid that got Kyle killed. Could get one of her new family members killed.

She checked her scope. "Oh no." A perfect triangle of disaster was formulating. One dragon, on the ground, held a gun and was aiming it right for Zoe. Just beyond Arcos saw him also.

Denim aimed for the shooter, willed herself to be calm and squeezed the trigger. Her dart sailed beautifully into the man's gun-holding wrist a split second too late. The dragon fired then dropped his weapon, Arcos dove onto Zoe, and a small tuft of his fur float up from his shoulder.

"Son of a bitch." Denim put down her tranq gun, and reached for her loaded sniper rifle. She swiped at her eyes, blinking hard, finally finding her sight, but new ailments slipped right in its place. A migraine loomed on the edges of her brain like a jackhammer pairing up horribly with her temper.

Aiming, she began picking off every dragon left standing like ducks in a barrel. Lucky them she was only taking out legs tonight. Apparently she was in enough trouble as it was, if she racked up a body count Leo would ban her from patrol forever.

Leo and Raph drew in from the sides, polishing off stragglers while Phoenix, covered by Karai, moved toward the Arcos, Zoe heap. Near where the middle had been, Mikey raised a fist to knock out the last guy standing, but Denim stole his moment, shooting his attacker.

It wasn't until they were all down that she dropped her rifle, shaking uncontrollably like it was her first gunfight. They were safe. Her heart pumped hard, and she inhaled deep, exhaling in a slump. It was over. She made a conscious effort to unclench her jaw, the pain in the back of her head dissipating with her fury. It was over.

Then came the sirens.

Sixty seconds. They had sixty seconds before the cops got there. Her hands were still trembling, her body not cooperating as she rolled to her knees to collect her gear.

A bizarre swimming sensation blanketed her as she reached for her rifle bag. When her torso dipped forward she couldn't hold it up. Her hand rose on command, to shield her face, but went limp instead of stopping her from wiping out. Her head cracked the corner of her steel tri-pod sending it crashing down on her. She lay in a heap, goose-pimpled and shivering, a trickle of blood dripping down her cheek.

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo hated it when his mother joined in the fighting. He always had. It was wrong to hate anything, he knew, but after much thought, he'd rather hate her joining in than hate her. Unlike Karai, who seemed to have some hold on not killing people, even if it was because she wanted to be good, or wanted him to love her, The Phoenix did not. When she fought, she attacked so that the person she aimed at did not get up to walk again.

While she might have been armed with two homemade weapons, they were just as deadly as if they'd been forged by a master weaponsmith. No amount of cajoling, begging, or discussing had ever been able to change her mind. He had a hard time understanding how the gentle healer, who would bring any one of the people on this battlefield back to health if they asked, could be the same woman who took the life of those she felt were threatening her or her loved ones. It was still something he meditated about, and he knew he'd be doing it again when all of this was over.

Three people dropped in the breadth of a minute, blood splattering from Phoenix's trademark aim, at the upper chest, neck or face. Then she was on the ground, her slingshot tucked away as she slashed with her knife. A woman was cut in quick succession, her hip, then her arm, then her cheek, her hand moving too slowly to stop the blade held by the woman who was almost three times her age, before she dropped to the ground. A large man got a stab to the groin, and then found his insides on his outside in his hands, as Phoenix danced away from the blood gushing out of him.

Dancing to another position, she sighed. "Go home, Chanxiang," she told the young man she recognized from her street clinics. "Before you end up dead."

The boy ran.

A gun shot went off, and unlike her other family members, the woman who had been forced to become a field medic during battles much like this one so that mutants could gain the right to walk in the sun, turned her head toward Arcos' shout.

Raph cracked the head of the Dragon that was about to crack Phoenix's, but she paid it no mind, as she bolted over to where the bear lay.

"Arcos," she said calmly, "are you hurt?" She noticed bits of Zoe sticking out from underneath him. "Arcos, you gotta move!" she pushed at her son.

The bear rolled over with a groan, sitting up and blinking rapidly. She took that to mean he was alright, and concentrated on Zoe, who did not look fine. In fact, she looked quite squished. As she took in a gulp of air, as if she'd been drowning, she asked Zoe, "Where were you hit?"

"In my shoulderblade," Arcos answered.

She whipped her head around to her son, "You got hit?" She was behind him in an instant, her hand on his back. Then, sirens began to blare. "Teddy Bear, I don't want to do anything with this until I can get the bullet out. Can you get back to the apartment?"

"Yeah," he said, standing up. "I didn't break you, did I?" he asked Zoe, holding a paw out to her to help her up.

"No," she replied, her voice small. "You just knocked the wind out of me."

"Ninjas," Leo said. " _Now."_

The command was understood by disciple and non-disciple alike, their time was up. Mikey bounded to the rooftop where he and his mother had left Denim, and the rest of them seemed to disappear into the night, as if they'd never existed, leaving the police a bloodbath with no visible assailants.

TSOTCTSOTC

"Zoe, look out!"

Time actually seemed to slow as Sappho watched Arcos charge towards the hybrid and right into the bullet's path. Her heart stopped as he went down and didn't move immediately afterwards. He was big, solid, but a single bullet in the right spot could quickly be fatal to anyone, even him.

The Phoenix rushed into the narrow window of focus that Sappho had fixated on. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as the woman coaxed Arcos upright off the hybrid. Conscious. Mobile. Alive. If he was this capable now, given what she'd managed to learn about the Phoenix, he would survive this without problem.

She forced her hands to unclench, hoping that her tension went unnoticed. If K2 even suspected her inexplicable partiality, it would be as good as signing Arcos's death warrant. No matter how this all ended up going down, she knew that the one thing she wanted above all else was for him to walk away from whatever happened unscathed. And the best thing she could do to protect him was pretend that she didn't care. Nothing incited K2's cruelty more than discovering a soft spot in someone he wanted to hurt. And she was pretty sure he wanted to hurt her. Always had. Since the beginning. And now was the first real opportunity he would have. Unless she could control her reactions.

Their view of the battle, now winding down with the sound of approaching sirens, was abruptly obscured as the woman she recognized as Denim, collapsed in front of the camera, a metal sniper tripod clattering against the rooftop beside her. Seeing the blood smeared on the tripod and dripping down Denim's head, she had a pretty good guess of what happened. Even without the earlier conversation they'd caught, Sappho would have known that Denim shouldn't have been out tonight. The poorly placed shots were evidence enough with a record like hers. Under normal circumstances, her accuracy should have had surgical precision.

A wordless cry of dismay flooded the speakers as the youthful, freckled turtle, Michelangelo according to her research, appeared and scooped up Denim. "Mom!" His shriek was even louder than his initial reaction.

The Phoenix stepped into view, her mouth compressed into a thin line as she crouched beside them and looked Denim over. "She's not in immediate danger."

"Then we should get her home." They both jumped and Sappho had to admit she was a little startled as the leader, Leonardo, seemed to materialize from the darkness.

Michelangelo scooped up Denim, but before he could move, Leonardo halted, his gaze zeroing in on the camera. In the space of a few steps his face completely filled the viewing window. The screen jostled as the camera was ripped from its mooring, being carefully turned under Leonardo's scrutiny.

"Donnie should have a look at this. I'll meet you back home."

Before anyone could respond to Leonardo's command, K2 began typing, causing the screen to turn to static.

"I doubt cutting off the signal will be sufficient." Her voice sounded level. Good.

K2 glanced up at her. "I sent a kill command to it. The camera's only good for a paperweight now." He looked back at his machine thoughtfully. "Combat skill not exaggerated. To pull this off, we'll a trap. And some leverage."

Sappho's heart sank, knowing that it would only get worse from here on out. The hunt was on.

TSOTCTSOTC

Donnie startled to find his brother suddenly beside him. "Don't do that. Seriously, I will bell you." He looked at the door behind him. "Did you even say hi to April?"

Leo smiled and shook his head. "She's actually the hardest one to sneak past, since she doesn't need sound to detect anyone's presence. She thought you could use a break though."

Donnie sighed and sank back into his chair, feeling the protest of all his tight muscles and stiff joints. It had been hours since he last moved from this spot. "What's she up to?"

Leo shuddered. "Drinking more of that foul smelling stuff you invented for her migraines."

Donnie frowned. "She went to the dojo today?"

Leo nodded. "She only checked a few classes, then went out for an early dinner with Karai while I was meditating with Zoe." Leo paused and frowned thoughtfully. "They are up to something."

Donnie chuckled. "Not touching that one. I have enough of my own problems to deal with."

"Speaking of..." Leo unhooked a small, wireless camera from his belt and dropped it on Donnie's desk.

Donnie arched an eye ridge at him. "Really?" Then he took another look at the camera and his eyes widened. "Whoa. This is some quality tech. Where did you find this?"

Leo crossed his arms over his plastron, clearly not pleased about having his suspicions confirmed. "In a part of town that doesn't even bother with traffic cams anymore, filming our run in with the Dragons. Can you trace it back to its source?"

Donnie unscrewed the casing and dumped out its innards, melted together in a single, solid, metal lump. "No. No I can't."

Leo's eyes narrowed. "I led us into a trap tonight and our enemies filmed it. Who might have a camera like this?"

Donnie didn't know whether to be concerned or relieved that his brother's ire seemed directed inward. He'd didn't want to be a target, but Leo took what he perceived as mistakes very hard.

"Governments. Major corporations. Wealthy individuals. But given that Zoe's predicament and Arcos's run in last night, I think we know who most likely is behind this, though it doesn't bring us any closer to finding them."

Leo tapped his foot as he thought, barely restraining himself from pacing as far as Donnie could tell. "Unless we let them find us at a time and place of our choosing."

Donnie's eyes widened. "Care to elaborate?"

Leo shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You haven't checked in since this morning. Status update?"

Donnie sighed, knowing that he wouldn't get anymore out of Leo until the plan was more fully formed. He just hoped it didn't involve using Zoe as bait. Raph would flip. "I'm only partway through the back ground checks. I have to dig around into each person's life individually based on who they are, so it's time consuming and tedious and I'm only working on it in between my work for Denim. Nothing alarming with your students so far."

"And Denim?" Leo's concern softened the commanding sound of his voice.

Donnie rubbed his hands over his face. "Not good. Based on her hormone levels, I'd say she's pretty early on in the pregnancy. My theory is that the rapid decline in her health coincided with the formation of the placenta."

Leo blinked uncomprehendingly.

"She's directly connected to the baby now and I think it's causing problems."

Leo's eyes lit with understanding.

Donnie sighed. "I haven't brushed up on my obstetrical knowledge since I was trying to figure out Zoe's pregnancy, but not a lot has changed. Mutant pregnancies are still extremely dangerous and no one really knows what to do about it, so we're on our own again. There does appear to be a recent spike in the number of pregnancies though."

Leo cocked his head to one side. "Why would that be?"

Donnie tapped his chin as he tried to organize his thoughts surrounding his burgeoning theory. "Evolution normally happens over generations, but mutants...we aren't stable. We're in a constant state of change at the most basic level. As far as I can tell, the changes seem to be tending towards the capacity towards reliable procreation. Since humans are genetically stable and most humanoid mutants already share some DNA with humans, it seems that a mutant human pairing has the likeliest chance of success, assuming the health problems can be overcome."

Leo frowned. "But not mutants with other mutants?"

Donnie shook his head. "Well, it does happen from time to time, but every mutant is unique and unstable and likely to have less in common than the shared genetic links with humans. The odds of compatibility are extremely low and there's simply no predicting the outcome in the unlikely case that conception does occur."

Leo smiled sadly. "Not much chance for me and Karai then?"

Donnie flinched. "No and I really advise against trying. I mean Karai's situation is way more precarious than most, given her ability to alter form. Even when she's appearing to remain in one shape, her body is still in a constant state of flux. There must be countless micro-shifts happening unconsciously inside and out all the time. All it would take is a shift in the wrong part of her and..." His voice tapered off as he caught the expression of Leo's face as second before his brother pulled his stoic mask back up to hide his feelings. "You've already tried, haven't you?"

Seeing the crack his question caused in Leo's mask, he immediately stood and wrapped his arms around his brother. He could feel Leo's effort to control his breathing as he forced the answer out. "Twice."

The rough edge to Leo's voice grated at Donnie's heart. "I'm sorry. I thought...me and April...I talked to mom, because she and April are both...I'm afraid to try. The risk..." He hadn't tried putting voice to his fears since speaking to his mother and now struggled to find the words.

Leo returned his hug. "I know."

Donnie's mind raced to process the new information. "It might be possible to synthesize a mutagen-based, paralytic agent that could be used to prevent Karai from shifting form..."

He stopped talking as Leo took a deep shuddering breath and pulled out of the embrace, quietly piecing himself back together. "Denim needs your full attention right now."

Donnie nodded, swallowing back the sorrow in an effort to focus on the facts. It would be easier if he could detach from their implications. "Mutant mothers stand the best chance. Their mutations tend to make them extremely resilient and their less susceptible to the side effects of a mutant pregnancy. For them the biggest concern is the drain on their resources."

"Resources?"

At Leo's question, he realized he'd been skirting the issue by being vague. "I checked and Denim's already deficient on almost all basic vitamins and minerals and is probably already burning through whatever reserves of fat she has. At this rate, she'll be bled dry long before she comes to term."

"What can we do about that?"

Ever-practical Leo. "We can feed her nutrients intravenously as often as we can manage and I've got some ideas on a formula for a nutrient-dense beverage. I have no idea how it will taste, since I'm mostly focused on the chemical contents, but if she can consume a lot of it as frequently as possible throughout her pregnancy and keep it down, then, with the IV, it might be enough to keep them both going. Maybe mom can help with that."

Leo nodded. "But that's the problem she shares with mutant mothers. Based on what you said, I assume there are more complications."

Leo was too perceptive sometimes. "The baby is a mutant and naturally has mutagen in it's body, to which Denim is now being exposed in minute but continuous doses. It would blend seamlessly with the blood composition of a mutant mother or mean nothing to someone immune to mutatgen, like mom, but it's altering Denim. This pregnancy is going to change her, and not in the usual being affected by life experiences sort of way. She will be different by the end of this and I honestly can't say how. The exact effects of mutagen are impossible to predict. On top of that, her immune system is reacting badly to the mutagen. It's attacking the parts of her that are changing and the baby itself. Her autoimmune response is putting her body into a state of civil war."

Leo sighed. "We can't do much about the changes except for keep an eye on them, but what about her immune response."

Donnie rubbed his temples, feeling a frustration headache coming on. "I can try developing a mutagenic antihistamine based on human models of similar medication, but that's not going to happen anytime soon. In the meantime, maybe mom can do something about it. I don't know if having some idea of what's going on within Denim might help her target her...abilities, but until I figure this out, Denim will be in a state of self destruction."

Leo rested a hand on Donnie's shoulder. "Good work."

His head snapped up towards his brother's, trying to figure out how not being able to do anything to help now could possibly be construed as good work.

"We know where to start and we have a plan. Focus on the nutrition problem first, then deal with the allergic reaction. And don't discount what mom's capable of. We aren't giving up and you've made a lot of progress in a very short amount of time. I honestly don't know what we'd do without you."

Donnie managed a weak, but genuine smile. "Thanks Leo."

His brother nodded. "I'll go home and fill everyone in. Try to remember to eat and sleep."

Donnie huffed out a laugh. "I'll try."

As silently as he'd come, Leo was gone.


	25. Chapter 24

"Where the hell did Leo disappear to?" Raph complained as he followed his family members upstairs to their parent's apartment.

Michelangelo, carrying a bleary-eyed Denim and followed closely by their mother, wove around him. Phoenix opened the apartment door, whispering her first command. "Take her straight back to Leo and Karai's room, only this time, don't leave her alone. And be quiet in case the kids are sleeping. We don't want Alli seeing her like this if we can help it. I'll be there in a minute."

Mikey nodded but said nothing as Phoenix waved him inside, full ninja-stealth as he entered the apartment. She pointed to Arcos who stood a few steps down, closer to the bottom of the flight. "You first, let's go."

Arcos said nothing as he ascended the stairs and followed her inside. He was smart enough to keep quiet upon his mother telling another sibling to do so. She didn't have to tell him too. He knew better than to provoke her, especially when he was about to be her patient.

TSOTCTSOTC

Raph looked back at Zoe, who held a hand to her ribs. Her eyes met his and she offered him a small smile. "I'm okay, I promise."

He didn't believe her. But she probably knew that. As she came to stand on the same step with him she slipped her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. "Come on, let's go check on Anton. And get you patched up."

Raph's brow furrowed. "Me?"

Zoe motioned to a cut on his bicep. "You."

"Oh, get a room!" Karai snapped, pushing by them.

"We ain't even doin' nothin!" Raph protested.

Karai waved a dismissive hand in their direction. "You're totally headed that way."

Zoe somehow took offense to this. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Karai snorted. "Anytime he gets a little cut or you get in a scrape it ends one of two ways."

Raph and Zoe looked at her expectantly.

She rolled her eyes. "Either you end up fucking or fighting. Everybody knows that."

Raph and Zoe looked at each other, his gaze falling to the hand she still held over her ribcage, the other intertwined with his own. She shouldn't have been out there at all, let alone Leo using her for bait. He shouldn't have let her go down there. "You shouldn't a gone tonight."

"See. See. I told you! Look at the way you're looking at her. Now she's either going to argue with you or you two or going to make-out. Gross. I'm not sticking around for this." Karai stomped off up the stairs only to have the door open before she could put a hand on the knob.

Their father's head stuck out as he leveled a glare at her. "I thought your mother asked for silence. You can be heard throughout the apartment. If you wake the children you will watch them. Come inside and be silent!"

Zoe and Raph suppressed amused snickers as Karai blinked beneath her father's scolding. Then his head turned toward them, prompting them both to silence.

"What are you doing? Come inside this instant!"

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix had a small surgery kit on the dining table, a tray with water, rags, disinfectant, a razor, horsehair and a needle. Arcos sat on the floor, and his diminutive mother stood at his back. She glanced behind her, tweezers in hand, giving Zoe, Raph, and Karai a rather nasty look at being disobeyed. Each of them looked at her contritely, she then turned her attention back to her bear-son.

He didn't make a sound when she inserted the tweezers into the wound and grasped the bullet, but his soft lip rose slightly of its own volition. The smacking noise of the tweezers diving through his flesh was sickening, but it was done in a minute.

As she placed the bullet on the tray, and began to stitch it up.

Raph whistled slowly. "Good save, brother."

Arcos looked down at the bullet. He shrugged. "All in a days work."

His mother clicked her tongue at the movement. "Be still," she muttered.

"I don't think it would have hit Zoe, now," Arcos continued. "It would have whizzed by her." He looked up at his sister and smiled. "Sorry, you got a fuzzy squishing for nothing."

Zoe shook her head, "It wasn't for nothing," she assured him.

Phoenix cut the horsehair, and then kissed Arcos on his head. "Why don't you lie down for a little, Teddy Bear," she said, gesturing to the couch, as if Raph, Zoe, and Karai were not on it.

He stood up, shaking his head. "I'm going home," he replied. "I'll sleep in a bed, and wake up at 2 in the afternoon." He winked as his mother clicked her tongue again. He bent down to kiss her, "Night, night, Mama."

Watching him wave to the others assembled in the room, she replied, "Night, night, Teddy Bear." With a glance to the other three, she scowled. "I'll go have a look at Denim."

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey had been puttering around the room for the last five minutes, three of which Denim had managed to regain consciousness for, cleaning and bandaging her head wound in uncharacteristic silence. Not a comfortable silence, but one that was gradually ratcheting up the tension between them.

Denim reached her limit first. "Say something."

It was as though her words had shattered a dam.

"Why would you do that? Why? Aren't things scary enough already? Do you have any idea what it's like each time I find you unconscious and don't know if you're gonna be ok? Two nights in a row now. Why?"

As the words poured out, he sat down on the edge of the bed, shell to her trembling.

Denim ran her fingers over the small bandage near her temple, while staring at the beautiful golden swirls all over his shell. His silent treatment was one thing, but the way he sat there shaking... Was that anger or fear?

She wasn't sure she wanted to know and opted not to answer his question. Instead she stood from the bed and started to unzip her bodysuit. "Did you bring my weapons bag back? I want to change clothes."

His shoulders slumped and he gripped his knees, taking a few controlled breaths until the shaking stopped. Wall rebuilt, he stood and shuffled over to a corner if the room, not illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window.

As Denim's eyes adjusted to the difference in light, she could make out the silhouette of her gear, neatly piled and out of the way. Whether it was here because she'd want it close, to keep it out if reach of everyone else in the apartment or both, she was relieved to see it.

It didn't take him long to move things around enough to get at her bag. Avoiding eye contact, he set it on the bed beside her and set about unnecessarily rearranging the items in the little first aid kit on the nightstand.

She struggled with the ripped zipper, trying not to further the damage done to her bag. Finally working it down its proper path she was able to get her clothes out, while watching him in her periphery, moving the same box of gauze to four different spots before starting over. She chewed on her bottom lip as 'the silent treatment' round two ensued.

She peeled her bodysuit down over her breasts, noting it was a bit snugger than usual. They were up a size already. Two days ago she was chalking that up to PMS... But now...

It was when she struggled with the zipper just over her belly that the magnitude of what she'd done, what she'd risked, and her weak justification for it became very clear to her.

Bullets had flown by her head.

She could've been shot.

She could've lost their baby before it ever had a chance. What had she been thinking? If the roles were flipped and Mikey had risked his life, hers, Alli's, or the baby, she'd be giving him the silent treatment too!

She sighed as her gaze fell to the floor. Her fingers began to shake and her heart picked up pace. The room tipped and she backed up to the bed, sitting down in hopes it would stop.

He was tracking her movements out of the corner of his eye. They'd been together long enough that she picked up on these little mannerisms. Though someone just getting to know him would never notice.

Still he said nothing.

It was the set of his mouth, that terrible downward bow that did not belong there... It tugged at her heart.

She'd been selfish.

"I wasn't," her voice cracked. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I wasn't trying to scare you. I just-"

His fingers stilled but he didn't look up.

A lump rose to her throat and she took a slow, steadying breath. "The role of sickly, useless human, Mikey that's not me. Do you realize I'm the only human in this family, and now I'm even weaker than before?"

She swallowed the damned knot in her throat, even though pressure was building behind her eyes. "I don't know how to be sick while you're off doing something I'm usually a part of. But I can't ask you to stay here with me, not when they need you. And I can't be the weak link. I just can't."

With seemingly impossible speed, he moved from the nightstand to the bed behind her in a green blur. Wrapping his arms around her, he rested his forehead against the nape of her neck.

"You're not weak. You were never weak. You're one of the strongest people I know and since you know a lot of the people I know, you know that means something...I think. That one got a little confusing near the end, but you know what I mean. We all get side lined sometimes, Blue Jeans, but instead of being benched cuz you did something stupid and got your shell kicked, it's because you're doing something brave and important. Obviously not tonight, but in general. And I don't know how to help and I hate that. I wish I could do something. We...I need you. Please..."

He trailed off, request unfinished as his voice broke. His arms tightened and he began to shake again.

She could feel moisture trailing down her back and realized it was tears. His tears.

She turned and wrapped her arms around him, breathing him in, her flesh thrumming everywhere that their skin met. Her heart jerked and ached like she'd taken a mighty blow. There was a wrestling in her gut, a pressure that burned against her lungs, erupting from her throat in a choked sob. "Mikey, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It was selfish, and stupid, and wrong, and I don't know what came over me."

"You were selfish, stupid, and wrong, that's what came over you." Phoenix's voice came through the suddenly open door before her body did. It opened just enough for her enter, then it was closed again, and the little woman was standing against it, looking at the two of them in each other arms. Her mouth was set in a little purse, the wrinkles around her lips emphasized. "I've never witnessed something so selfish, stupid, and wrong," her voice cracked slightly as the talked, obviously attempting to keep her anger in check.

Denim and Mikey looked up and toward Phoenix. Then Denim sniffled and wiped her eyes. She pressed herself even closer to Michelangelo, rather surprised at his mother's anger. His family being upset with her hadn't occurred to her when she made the decision to go on patrol... But then Mikey's opinion hadn't eith- no wait, it had, otherwise she wouldn't have snuck out the window...

She couldn't look Phoenix in the eye, instead inched her way behind Mikey and began rubbing nervous circles over the edge of his shell. She wasn't sure what to think of a parent caring enough about her to be angry.

Connie had at one point been furious enough with her to temporarily take Alli away, but that was more out of concern for her granddaughter than Denim herself. Maybe that's what this was too. Her son impregnated an idiot and she would do everything she could to at least see her grandchild born before she took him or her away...

 _Maybe she should. Maybe I'm not a good mother. I do make some seriously crap decisions sometimes._

She looked up from Mikey's beautifully painted shell, glanced at Phoenix, and tried not to flinch at the woman's expression. Quickly, she shifted her gaze back to Mikey's shell.

"I'm usually a good mother," she mumbled. "At least I try to be. I wasn't thinking. It was selfish," her voice rose a bit, "and I am sorry."

Fresh tears gathered on her lashes and the same train of thought that had her crawling out the window seemed to posses her again. "I guess you hate me now. What are you going to do? Take the baby away once it's born? It wouldn't be the first time someone tried."

"If I hated you," Phoenix hissed, entering the room proper and making her way toward Denim and Mikey, "you would be dead, not sitting in my home." She stopped just short of her son, but her green emeralds were boring into Denim as if Mikey wasn't there. "I know all about your baby being taking away," she said, her voice unkind. "I know all about you, Denim. I know more about you than you know about you. And you're not the only one who has had babies taken away, so don't try and play that card with me." She leaned forward, as if trying to duck around the bright, blue eyed turtle. "If you keep acting like this," her voice was little more than a harsh whisper, "there won't be any baby being born. It will be a fetus that you miscarry."

Denim was appalled. She stepped around a gaping Michelangelo, her gaze fixed on Phoenix's blazing green eyes. "That's horrible. That's a terrible thing to say to someone. And I have to say I'm done. It's been a whole two days that we've known about this baby and I am sick and tired of being told that I'm going to lose it."

"Blue Jeans-" Mikey managed to form her name, but Denim ignored him in her fit.

She threw her hands up. "Yes, I made a stupid decision. But maybe the lot of you contributed to it. All this bullshit talk about the fragile little human doomed to lose her mutant baby. I felt like I needed to go out tonight to prove I'm not that breakable, that this family can still count on me. That I can do this, because I can. And by the way, don't anybody mention the fact that I helped! Because I did!"

Phoenix's nostrils flared, and seeing her fury Mikey begged her name next. "Mom-" Then seeing Denim wasn't going to stop he tried calling to her again. "Denim-"

Finding herself suddenly winded Denim paused long enough to catch a breath. She could feel the blood draining from her face even though she was angry.

She panted, her energy rapidly fading. "You know, maybe you want me to lose it, maybe not." Denim said weakly, with a shake of her head. "I don't know. Because I know nothing about you, Phoenix. And to be honest, I'm a little leery that you claim to know so much about me. But whatever your motivation, I'm done hearing it. I'm going home."

"Stop. Please stop. No more fighting. Please. Everyone's saying awful things they don't mean because they just can't mean them. I just...I..." Mikey's voice started off quiet but steadily gained volume until he noticed both his mother and Denim staring at him. But the falter was brief.

"We're supposed to be a team, you know, like peanut butter and jelly. I mean if your sandwich is all peanut butter, it's super sticky and hard to chew. But if it's all jelly then it's slippery and all messy and Leo's yelling at you for getting jelly in the dojo...I think I may have lost track of my point. Anyway, we gotta stick together. Go team us!"

Mikey looked hopefully between Denim and his mom who were still just staring at him.

Phoenix stood up straight, and while it did not make her tall by any stretch, it made her more imposing. She turned her eyes back to Denim, her face not having softened any, but her voice was no longer an angry hiss. "No one said anything about you being a weak little human being, did they?" She crossed her arms around her chest. Her words were still forceful, but Mikey's plea seemed to have hit her. "That is something you decided to come up with on your own. Don't put words into any of our mouths. None of us have done that with you."

She shrugged, and took a step back, "As for not knowing anything about any of us, perhaps that is because you haven't looked. Or asked."

Denim looked at Michelangelo's mother, and knew she was in a terrible position. But then so was Mikey. There Denim was needing help and hating it. And there he was counting on her to make the best decisions of her life. She wasn't off to a very good start.

Her lip quivered as her gaze fell to the floor. "You're right. You're both right. I just-" her eyes filled and Mikey slipped his hand in hers. "I hate feeling like this. I don't want any of you thinking I'm holding Mikey back. That I've become a distraction when before I was of use. And what am I supposed to do? Lay around sick and waiting to what end? I can't do that. I have to work, I have to pack up an apartment and move, I have...to keep living my life. And what I did tonight was part of it. It was hard for me to let it go when I was pregnant with Alli, too."

Perhaps she was fortunate a shot hadn't landed in her face the way it had Kyle. Maybe she should be thankful that Mikey was okay and she hadn't gotten him killed. She messed up and she knew it. Her chest had a terrible raw feeling inside it, as if she'd been crying for hours, and her body was unbearably lethargic. What could she do to make any of it right?

She looked at Phoenix then to Mikey, withdrawing her hand from his to wipe her eyes. "I messed up, it was wrong, and it will not happen again." She shook her head. "There's no excuse, I can't take it back and I am sorry."

Mikey darted forward, catching them each in a one-armed hug.

"Everything's back to good now." He cheerily grinned back and forth between them before fixing his puppy dog eyes on his mom. "So now that it's all awesome again, can you hocus pocus away Denim's head bump?"

Phoenix twisted her mouth, but reached out and stroked Denim's head, smoothing her red hair as her hand slid over the bloody lump on Denim's noggin. "Again," she said, her voice soft now, all sound of anger fading away, "no one said that you were to lay around sick and wait to die." She stroked her temple, where a small cut was, with her thumb. "But you do need to realize that you're not well. You're not sick," she leaned into Mikey slightly, squeezing him with the arm she'd wrapped around his shell, "but you're not well."

She sighed, dropping her arms, and glancing at the door. Her face became very sad. "What you're doing, carrying this baby, it's dangerous business." Turning back to Denim, she continued. "It doesn't happen a lot, and when it does, it doesn't stick a lot. I have twelve miscarriages before Yuuta." Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them away. "And carrying him to term was the most difficult thing I've had to do in my life. And of all people, I'm probably the one most likely to be able to do it. I'm still in awe that other people without my abilities can do it at all, much less successfully. Antonello is like a tiny miracle, every time I see him, I am reminded that life tries very hard to make it. But sometimes, Denim, a lot of times, it doesn't make it."

She shook her head, "We just want you and little who-that-is," she pointed to Denim's stomach, "to have the best chance of making it. We're a family. We take care of each other. But I can't take care of you if you won't let me. Donnie can't take care of you if you won't let him. Mikey can't take care of you if you won't let him. The time will come when it is your turn to take care of one of us. But that time isn't now. Right now it is your turn."

Denim couldn't form words, she'd fall apart. Twelve miscarriages. Twelve. Ninety percent failure rate. So many people got to enjoy their pregnancies, to be excited about them. Whereas for her entire first she'd mourned a dead husband and now…

She had to brace herself, but for how long and to what end? Internally she begged her body to hold up, for Mikey's sake more than anything. What would happen to them if she didn't bring this baby to term?

Twelve.

Ninety percent.

What did she know about the child she was carrying? Almost nothing, save for one thing. He or she had two parents and a sibling who would love them. She swallowed the lump in her throat, her voice coming out rough from her crying. "I understand. I'm sorry. I'll do better… What do you want me to do now?"

Phoenix smiled, a motherly and loving thing. "How are you feeling?" she asked. "Better?"

Denim nodded. "Better. Just tired, and I have to work today."

"Holy chalupa! It's super late! You need to sleep, Blue Jeans." Mikey released them and started to pace as he spoke.

He halted abruptly and clapped his hands together. "I have an idea. We can crash at our new place tonight. It'll be fun, like camping."

He leaned in to give Denim a quick kiss, before grabbing his mom's hand and pulling her towards the door.

"We'll round up Alli, the spare air mattress and some pillows and blankets." He cast Denim a wink before guiding his mom out, through the door shutting it behind them.

Though physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted, Denim started back towards her bag and the promise of sleep in the near future.

TSOTCTSOTC

Before Phoenix could react to being herded from the room, Mikey enveloped her in an ambush hug.

Assuming he needed to comfort, she wormed a hand out of the iron embrace to give his shell a reassuring pat.

"You could've said something. We would have been there for you."

Her jaw dropped, but no words came out in response.

He pulled back to look her in the eyes, unusually serious. "A wise woman once said something along the lines, that even the most independent and capable people should let the ones that care about them help when the need it." The mischievous twinkle returned to his eye and then he was gone, bounding down the hallway as she stared after him.


	26. Chapter 25

Leo was somewhat distracted by the whirlwind of information systematically organizing itself in his head as he slipped through the apartment door, so he could be excused for being startled. Well, he could if he was anyone else. But being himself, he kept it from showing externally so that Karai was probably the only one who might even suspect that he'd been caught off guard by Raph ambushing at the door, a move he really should have anticipated.

"Where the shell have you been? Some of us actually have things to do tomorrow, I'm sorry, I mean later today, so waiting around to hear the breakdown of how you royally fucked up tonight is really not the privilege you think it must be."

If he didn't have a lifetime of experience dealing with Raph, his brother probably would have driven him back out the door by intimidating proximity alone. Instead, he held his ground and deftly outmaneuvered Raph.

"Careful. I'm sure Sensei and mother would have a few choice words for you if you wake the kids."

Raph's mouth clamped shot and he looked like he was about to explode. Behind him, Leo could see Karai leaning against the wall smirking and Zoe fighting a smile as she packed up one of several first aid kits located around the apartment. Leo's eyes immediately zeroed in on the bandage around Raph's arm.

Raph rolled his eyes. "You are not going to freak out over a little scratch."

Leo frowned. "Did mom look at it?"

Raph snorted. "Z got it. Mom's been kinda busy. Besides, I'd rather heal the old fashioned way than risk the mood she's in right now."

Leo looked quickly around the apartment, not seeing anyone else. "Arcos?"

Karai stepped forward. "Patched up good as new. He decided not to wait around."

Leo frowned, but tabled that for later as he had larger concerns. "Denim?"

Both Raph and Zoe's eyes drifted towards the hall before Karai answered. "If she was alright, she might not be after mom gets done with her."

"So you gonna tell us what happened tonight?" Raph's voice was edged with frustration-born anger, but he kept his volume low. Given that Zoe had ended up at ground zero if the ambush, Leo couldn't really blame him. Karai had been there too, so he understood.

"A miscalculation."

Raph's eyes narrowed. "A what? Are you crazy. It was a total clusterfuck. What the shell were you thinking."

Leo straightened, knowing better than to take Raph's words personally, but being unable to stop himself despite that.

"Up until now, we've been hunted. A single individual, shadowing our moves, stalking us. It made sense to be predictable and have her find us when we were in the strongest possible position to do something about it."

"Until the freaking Purple Dragons, New York's biggest joke totally got the jump on us. And then what? You decided to take a walk and do a little soul searching while everyone waited for you?" Raph practically spat the words out.

Leo was careful not to show any reaction to Raph's baiting as he responded. "I needed to talk to Donnie. While the Dragons were the tool used, I don't think it was their trap. A high end wireless camera was positioned to view the whole thing. I found it when we were retrieving Denim. Someone fried it remotely, so it's untraceable, but..." he turned to look Zoe in the eye "Donnie thinks it's EDF."

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe met Leo with an even gaze. "If they're behind this," she glanced at Raph then back to Leo, "whoever they sent is no rookie. They're not just looking at me. They're studying how we fight as a whole." She snorted. "And now they know what we've got, from leader right down to our sniper."

"They don't know about April, Donnie, Medusa, or Aries." Raph corrected.

"Well that depends on how long they've been watching us," Karai said, coming to stand beside Zoe. "The show we gave them tonight, was enough to let any enemy see how we fight and what roles we play."

Zoe glanced down the hall, her voice coming out low. "Leo, if you had video footage of your enemy, and you analyzed their roles and fighting styles, which team member would you pick off first?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo paced as he considered her question. "It depends on how much they know, but if possible, the most tactically advantageous move is to eliminate the leader and any follow up members of the chain of command. If all they know comes from the video, then they'll want to remove Denim as well in order to gain the upper hand on us as a unit. Given our stalker's presence at the warehouse and outside Don and April's apartment, I think it's safe to say they're much more well informed, which would make Donnie, April and mom also important targets as essential support specialists. That would put them in the best possible position to take us on."

"So what's their next move?" Leo could tell from her tone of voice that, while Karai was not pleased with his response, she didn't disagree.

"If they assume we're not onto them, they would want to take Zoe quietly, leaving little or no clues to her disappearance. As Arcos had a run in with one of their agents outside of April and Donnie's place and I found their camera tonight, that possibility is looking less and less likely. Which means that they'll need to cripple or destroy us as a group before they can get Zoe without retaliation."

Karai frowned. "Unless they know about Denim's condition, none of the priority targets you identified are easy to take."

Leo shook his head. "No, but if they start by going after the most vulnerable members of our family, they could bait out those of us they most want to eliminate."

Karai considered that for a moment. "Anton, Yuuta, Alli and Denim."

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo nodded and was about to reply when Mikey appeared in the hall. Stopping at the walk-in closet, he opened it up and disappeared inside, seemingly oblivious to everyone.

Phoenix came next, bypassing both Zoe and Karai in a beeline for the kitchen. Her mouth was set in a thin line, her eyes wide but distant.

Leo exchanged glances with Karai and Raph. He was about to look at Zoe when she spoke up. "Before we dive into whatever the rest of the day has in store for us, I have a suggestion as to how we go about living our lives while staying as safe as possible." She motioned toward him. "That is until we figure out how to stop them."

"Well don't stop there," Raph groused. "We've got a family to protect. So let's hear it."

Zoe rubbed her face. "We've got to break our patterns. Take different routes to work, the grocery, home, all of it, everything and constantly. We've got to mix up who we travel with, and how we get where we're going. Those of us who aren't children or have a medical condition should also mix up our fighting styles." She looked at Raph. "We're creatures of habit. That's how they were able to-"

Before she could finish a crash came from inside the closet.

TSOTCTSOTC

"So," Dreadlocks leaned forward, pushing Medusa's Mountain Dew toward her, "what's a beautiful woman like you doing available?"

Medusa hissed slightly, it might have been a laugh, and looked down at herself. She knew she was many things, but beautiful wasn't one of them. Human beings tended to have a visceral response to her, a classic fight or flight. She was wearing only a plain shirt today. It was adorned with a girdle around what one could assume was her waist, a thin chain with a sparkly charm hanging at the end. Without the gold make up to accentuate the diamonds that traveled her body, her dark green scales blended in with one another. She blinked her black eyes, and decided to go with the uber shock factor. "Because my husband was shot and killed."

Dreadlock's face went blank, and Medusa could detect a drop in his body temperature as she flicked her tongue. "Uh." He swallowed.

Medusa felt sorry for him. "He was killed during the war," she explained softly.

"Oh!" He shook his head, his dreadlocks hitting his face as he did. "I'm sorry..."

"Did you fight in the war?" she asked.

He looked around, as if she were asking someone else. "No," he said.

"Did you support the racists?" She flicked her tongue.

"No!" He leaned back in his chair, his face shocked.

She laughed, reaching over the table to put her small hand over his, "Then don't be sorry."

He curled his fingers around her, relief flooding his features and body language. "You had me there, for a minute," he admitted.

She winked. "I know."

When she did not pull her hand away, Dreadlocks began to stroke her with his thumb. "You were married?"

"As married as a mutant can get," she replied.

"That's right," he breathed. "Mutants aren't allowed to get married."

Medusa laughed again. "You haven't hung out with a lot of mutants, have you?" When he didn't answer, she leaned forward, "The government says that mutants aren't allowed to get married."

"Uh..."

"The definition of marriage," Medusa went on, "is 'a formally recognized union between two people as partners in a relationship.' It doesn't say anything about the government."

Dreadlocks beamed an understanding smile. "You're an anarchist!"

"I'm a mutant. I don't have the privilege of being affiliated with a political party, or lack thereof."

"You sound like an anarchist," he squeezed her hand.

She shook her head, "I'm simply someone who wanted to have my relationship with the man I loved be officially recognized by my community. So I got married."

"What's a mutant wedding look like?" He glanced at his watch.

"It looks the same as a human wedding," she said. "Only it isn't in a church or a legal building. And there isn't a minister or justice of the peace there."

"Who officiated at yours?"

She smiled again. "No one," she replied. "We made our own wedding ceremony, in front of our...community. Then had a big party afterwards."

"Best part of a wedding," he said, sliding his chair back and standing up. "Stay right there," he said, holding up a finger, like she was going to slink out. "I'll be right back."

TSOTCTSOTC

The door flew open and out sprawled Mikey across the floor under an avalanche of spare pillows, blankets and a deflated air mattress, materials packed away for the frequent event of random family members crashing at the apartment for the night.

Leo winced. "Mikey, are you ok?"

His little brother frantically dug himself to the surface of the heap. "That was not my fault. That shelf was not up to code."

He was obviously fine. Leo sighed. "Well as long as you didn't wake..."

"What's going on? Are we bein' attacked?" Bleary-eyed but ready for action, Anton stumbled into the living room with Yuuta at his side in a fighting stance, squeaking out fiercely. Alli wandered up behind the rubbing her eyes.

"Michelangelo, explain."

"Son of a...!" Raph yelped and jerked aside as their father was suddenly standing between him and Leo. Even Leo jumped some, having completely failed to detect Sensei's approach. But the old rat ignored them both, completely focused on a chagrined Mikey, sitting in a heap of the closet's contents.

"Uh hey, did I wake you?"

Their father did not look amused. He tapped his cane loudly against the floor and Mikey immediately straightened to attention.

"It's late and instead of going home, I thought Denim, Alli and I could just crash at our new place for the night and we needed to borrow some stuff. Sorry." He rushed it out in a single breath, but it was still understandable to those accustomed to speaking Mikeyish.

Splinter frowned. "A ninja practices the art of silence."

Mikey grimaced. "Hai Sensei. I'll try harder."

TSOTCTSOTC

Dreadlocks took the stage, his dark eyes staring right at the huge mutant squished in the corner of the cafe. "I wasn't going to read this poem tonight, because it wasn't written. But last night, I got my socks blown off by one of the most fantastic," he paused, "people I've ever met. My muse changed shaped, and this is what she whispered in my ear.

"Forest foliage,

glittering gold in the strobes,

flutters in the concrete jungle,

her native habitat,

dark and verdant..."

Medusa listened to the rest of the poem with a smile. She noticed that she was tasting the air much more, her tongue sliding in and out of her mouth.

Dreadlocks came back to her table, and her cell phone rang. She glanced at it, saw it was Arcos, and slid it to her voice mail. "What did you think?" Dreadlocks asked.

She laughed outright. _A poet! He needs reassurance._ "That was lovely."

"Are you a reader of poetry?" he asked.

"I am, my mother is a poet." Her phone rang again. She hissed slightly at seeing Arcos' number again, before sliding it to voicemail once more.

"Really?" Dreadlocks sat up straighter. "Have I read her?"

"Probably not," Medusa replied. "She was last published about twenty five years ago." Her phone rang again, and with a huff she answered it. "What do you want, Arcos?"

Dreadlocks watched as the frown left her face, replaced with one of worry. "What? No, you can't-that's not legal. I can take care of all of them-" She sighed. "Yeah, I'll help. I'll be there in a bit." Her black eyes were heavy with sorrow when she looked at Dreadlocks. "I'm sorry, I have to go." She began to slither out from her spot.

"What's the matter?" Dreadlocks asked, standing up.

"I have to help my brother move," she said.

"What?" Dreadlocks' dark eyebrows furrowed on his face.

"My brother is being kicked out of his place-by his roommates."

"Hey, I'll come with you," he was at her side in a heartbeat, smiling. "Did he not pay his rent or something?"

She shook her head, "Or something," she hissed.

TSOTCTSOTC

The crash sounded like it came from the living room. Denim finished pulling her sundress over her head, before opening the bedroom door to find Leo standing in the hall with Raph, Splinter, Alli, Yuuta, and Anton, each of them staring at Michelangelo on the floor amid a pile of pillows and blankets.

Mikey's blue eyes and sheepish grin shifted from his father to her, and before she could ask he assured her. "Heh, uh, I'm okay."

The resulting smile on her face was genuine, as she approached him.

Her daughter had went from sleepy-eyed to wide awake upon seeing her. "Mommy!" Alli exclaimed, halting her in the hall.

Internally Denim cringed. She'd yet to go to sleep, the sun was about to rise, and now her three year old was up. Throw in the fact she had to work and Denim was beyond exhausted.

Pasting a smile on her face, she knelt down to embrace her pink-cheeked mini-me. "Hi," she said softly, scooping her up. "How was your night?"

Denim kept her attention fixed on Alli, sensing some discord from Leo, but having heard more than enough reprimand for the night.

Alli reached for the side of her face. "Did you get a boo-boo?"

"Huh?" Reaching up, Denim's fingers brushed the bandage on her temple. "Oh, yeah a little one. But you know it doesn't hurt anymore. I think your Grandmere has magic powers." Denim picked at the tape, then peeled it away.

Alli's eyes widened. "Yep, there's nothing there."

So _that's_ what Phoenix did.

Behind them Leo cleared his throat. "Everyone should get some rest. We'll talk more about all of this later, once everyone is rested." He bent over, and whispered something to Mikey who simply nodded his reply.

Raph ushered Anton toward the living room, while Master Splinter guided Yuuta toward their room. Denim found the slight upturn of his mouth paired with his barely audible greeting of, "Good morning, Denim," soothing. She was grateful for that fleeting sensation whenever she encountered it anymore.

"Good morning, Splinter," she replied, making her way past him, down the hall to where Mikey was loading his arms with supplies. She glanced at the rat pup along the way, "Good morning, Yuuta."

He squeaked his reply waving at Alli before his father guided him away, then closed their bedroom door.

"Leo, we're heading out."

She couldn't see Raph but judging from his voice he was by the front door. "I'm working the club tonight so I'll bring Anton and Z here before my shift."

Leo's lips parted to reply but Zoe beat him to it. "No you won't. I'm not staying up all night waiting for you here. And we can't keep waking Anton up to drag him home."

"We'll talk about it later." Raph snapped. "I ain't fightin' with you right now. Come on, I want to get home."

"I'll call you," Leo called to them, but Denim wasn't sure they heard him as bickering ensued and the front door shut, leaving the apartment much quieter.

He closed his eyes, pinching between them. Then he lowered his hand from his face. "Do you need help carrying anything, Mikey?"

Michelangelo had so much piled in his arms Denim couldn't see his expression, but his tone was chipper enough. "Nope. I'm totes good." Then he took a step forward and almost ran into Leo.

"Come on," Leo said, reaching out to relieve Mikey of half his load. "Let's get you guys to your place so you can rest."

"Thanks, Leo." Denim and Mikey said in unison.

TSOTCTSOTC

Upon seeing Mikey tumble out of the hall closet, Karai took the opportunity to slip into the kitchen and check on her mother.

Phoenix sat at the table, a steaming mug cupped between her hands. "I'm going to assume that was Michelangelo."

Karai opened a cabinet and reached for a tea cup. "Who else would it be?"

Phoenix didn't reply.

There were two kettles on the stove, and she reached for the one that was still hot to fill her cup. She inhaled the pale pink liquid and cringed. "This is one of your medicinal blends isn't it?"

Phoenix didn't look away from the steam billowing up from the beverage before her. "That would be for Denim. Take it to her in a to-go container, please." She took a sip before adding, "You'll want what I'm having from the kettle on the back burner."

Karai's stomach dipped and rallied, but not in a good way. She didn't want to talk to her newest sister, didn't even want to think about her after what she'd done last night.

"I already spoke with her about it. It won't happen again. Just take her the tea, please." Phoenix said, as if reading her mind.

Her gaze had shifted to a family photo above the table and Karai couldn't ignore the downturn of her mother's mouth. But before she could ask Phoenix answered.

"I am fine. Take the tea to your sister then get some rest."

TSOTCTSOTC

Arcos was standing outside his communal studio, several boxes already at his feet.

"Who do I eat first?" Medusa asked.

"I'm not in the mood, Medusa," he growled.

"You really leaving?" she asked.

Arcos glanced at Dreadlocks at her side, his lip curling slightly. "Yeah," he said. "I don't have much of a choice."

"You can get a lawyer," Dreadlocks said.

"You haven't been hanging out with mutants very long, have you?" Arcos asked. He didn't wait for an answer, "Can you carry my bed?"

Medusa nodded. "If you have a crate, I can carry that, too, with your stuff."

"I can carry stuff, too," Dreadlocks said.

Arcos looked at him like he was crazy. "You're trying to date my sister, and you're offering to carry stuff? Seriously?"

Medusa laughed, a staccato hiss.

"What?" asked Dreadlocks.

"Are we waiting for Donnie to come with the car?" Medusa asked.

Arcos shook his head. "I didn't tell anyone else."

"You're just going to show up at Mama and Father's place?"

He shook his head again.

Medusa glanced at Dreadlocks.

"Go home, buddy," Arcos said to him. "Your date is over."

"I decide when my date is over!" Medusa said.

"Don't I get to decide that, too?" Dreadlocks asked.

Both Arcos and Medusa looked at him like he was crazy. "No!" Medusa turned back to Arcos. "And my date isn't over yet."

Dreadlocks smiled smugly.

Arcos sighed. "You stay here and watch the boxes," he told him.

"Arcos!" Medusa hissed. "I'm sorry my brothers being a jackass," she said to Dreadlocks.

"A jack-ass that just got shot in the shoulder and is being kicked out of his apartment because he's a mutant and his roommates feel 'unsafe" with him around," the bear's voice ground out of a closed mouth.

Medusa flicked her tongue. "Better stay here and watch the boxes," she told Dreadlocks.

As they entered the loft, Medusa made sure to hiss at any human that crossed her path. "Did they already kick out the others?" she asked, seeing no mutants.

"Yeah, each when they got home from work."

"I can eat them. Slowly, one by one. No one would know what happened, because there would be no body..."

"You can't digest bones," he told her in a grumble.

"We can hide the bones," she sang.

He let out a small "Grrrr," to denote he had nothing to say.

Dreadlocks watched as the boxes built up, until finally Medusa and Arcos emerged with the bear carrying a drafting table and Medusa's coils wrapped around a bed. The human's brown eyes went wide.

Medusa smiled. "Last chance for them to get eaten."

"Stop talking like that," Arcos snapped. "They're going to call the police."

Medusa sighed.

Dreadlocks picked up a box, "If you get that one," he pointed with his head, "I can carry two."

"You're not carrying any," Arcos said. "You can go home."

"Arcos," Medusa's voice was hissy, "Stop it!"

"I don't want him knowing where I'm going. He's human."

She hissed outright. "Mama's human."

"No, she's not."

She hissed outright.

"Come on," he growled. "Are you helping or not?"

Medusa sighed again, curling around boxes sinuously, until she had all of his belongings in her coils. "I can carry those boxes in my arms," she told Dreadlocks.

He placed them in gently, "Uh," he said, "You busy tomorrow night?"

Medusa smiled back, "You tell me, am I?"

Arcos rolled his eyes.

"Yes," Dreadlocks said. "At seven? For real dinner."

Medusa's smile faded. "You can't afford my dinner," she said. "But you can buy an entree, which will be a snack."

"Where do I pick you up?"

Medusa looked at her brother, then said to Dreadlocks, "How about I pick you up?"

His face fell a little, but he nodded. "I'll text you my address," he said.

Leading the way, Medusa followed Arcos. They both walked slowly, Arcos from the awkwardness of carrying the desk, and Medusa from having almost all of her body caught up in carrying boxes. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"To the Not Haunted Warehouse," Arcos replied.

"Seriously?" she hissed.

"Yes," he growled. "It's already equipped as a living space, it fits my body, I like it, and I will be left alone."

"You'll get depressed, like you did when you broke up with Jennifer."

He shot her a nasty look.

"I'll move in with you," she told him.

"What?" he asked.

She flicked her tongue. "It's already equipped as a living space," she said. "It fits my body, and you don't need to be left alone. Besides, why would I pay rent for a studio I barely fit in, when I could be living for free in the Not Haunted Warehouse? I can work less!"

He chuckled. "Ok," he agreed. "Just, don't tell Dreadlocks where we live."

"Horace," she said.

"What?"

"Horace, his name is Horace," she told him.

"Good gods," he rolled his eyes. "And I thought Arcos was bad."

"Hey," Medusa elbowed him. "You're not a snake named Medusa."

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim was just reaching for the door knob with the hand not busy holding Alli when Karai emerged from the kitchen with an old thermos.

"Ooh, is that hot cocoa?" Mikey shifted around his load enough to reach for the thermos.

"One of mom and dad's medicinal teas for Denim, in case she's not already sick enough." Karai answered, watching in amusement as Mikey recoiled like the thermos had tried to bite him.

"Those teas have kept this family healthy on more than one occasion." Their father announced, Yuuta drooping back to sleep on his shoulder as he made his way back towards the hallway, not seeing or choosing to ignore the gagging face that Mikey made.

Karai looked the three of them over. "Denim's sniper crap is still in our room, isn't it?"

Denim groaned and turned back towards the hallway, only to have the thermos shoved in her hand. "Just start heading up already. I'll get it."

By this point, Leo had managed to get the door open so that Denim wouldn't need to juggle her daughter and the thermos. They weren't even halfway to the stairs before Mikey broke the silence.

"So how's Donnie doing? You saw him, right?"

Leo knew what Mikey was really asking and had been secretly hoping to avoid this conversation. "He's making some progress. The important thing right now is that Denim eats."

Denim actually smiled as she pushed her way into the stairwell. "Pregnant women don't generally need a genius to tell them that."

"I meant more so than usual. But Donnie's working on a supplement that might help." Leo turned his attention from Denim to Mikey. "You might want to swing by his place sometime and make sure that it's actually edible and I mean edible for normal people, not just you."

Mikey rolled his eyes. "I know that not everyone has my sense of adventure when it comes to creative eating."

Leo shook his head. "If that's what you want to call it." Then he switched focus back to Denim who was huffing her way up the stairs ahead of him. "He also thinks he knows why you're body is having such an extreme reaction and has some ideas on what can be done to deal with that, but I don't have a timeline on when that will be ready."

Denim grunted in acknowledgement, saving her breath for the stairs and he could almost feel Mikey perk up behind him. He felt a little guilty for sounding so hopeful when Donnie had barely started on either solution, but he desperately wanted things to work out for them. He knew the potential pain that awaited his little brother would do anything to spare him that were it in his power.

It didn't help that he'd left out what Donnie had told him about Denim beginning to gradually mutate. But there would be worry and questions he couldn't answer and Donnie hadn't even theorized a solution to that problem. He'd rather wait and let Donnie deliver the news himself, hopefully when he had something positive to offer in terms of fixing it. He didn't think she'd necessarily freak out at the idea, but he and his family new from experience how fickle mutations could be. It might be a small thing, essentially leaving her as herself. Or she might e drastically altered beyond recognition, leaving little or no trace of the person she'd been. The unpredictability of mutagen was its danger. Until there was something that could be done, he had no intention of inciting a panic.

They arrived at the apartment and he helped Mikey set up the air compressor, hoping that they'd at least manage a couple hours of sleep before the day started. Behind him, he heard Karai enter, despite her near silent motion. He could see her examining the place as she set Denim's gear by the door.

"Remind me why we have the small apartment again."

He rose from his crouch. "Because it wasn't available when we moved in."

"You guys can head back and get some rest. We got this."

At the sound of Mikey's voice, he turned to see his brother slowly inflating the air mattress while Alli slept curled up against his side. Denim grimaced as she swallowed a cupful of tea, but managed a nod of agreement.

"Enjoy your night in the palatial estate." Karai responded, but was not nearly as disgruntled as she pretended to be.

"Get some sleep." Leo added before following Karai out the door.

"So what's the plan?"

He could feel her eyes on him as they walked. "I need to think. But until I know for sure we're laying low, starving them for a target until we're ready to provide them with one. I'd like to tell everyone not to go anywhere alone, but all that will do is get everyone to start lying to me."

She smirked. "Good to know that you're not totally out of touch with reality. Now let's go home. I'm meeting up with April tomorrow."

He raised an eye ridge but she cut him off before he could ask. "Don't butt in on my sister time."

He raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, but you'll tell me if it's important?"

"Of course." She winked as she took off ahead of him. He shook his head, pretty certain he'd be sorry whenever he found out what she was up to.


	27. Chapter 26

Alli climbed the playground stairs, and ran across the bridge, reaching the platform at the top only to wait her turn behind her friend, Lucy. It was the highest point, the best view, the castle tower.

Seeing the big kids file out the gym door, she looked around the play yard searching for Anton.

"Let's pretend we're princesses, Alli." Lucy twisted around to face her, tugging on Alli's arm. "Come on- Uh, what're you looking for?"

A handful of big kids stomped onto the playground, tromping across the bridge that led to the slide. But she didn't see Anton.

"Come on, Alli, let's play princesses and go down the slide together!" Lucy begged.

Alli's friend yanked on the peach mermaid-girl shirt Mikey had bought her a couple weeks ago when her Mom hadn't been feeling too good. He'd taken her out for ice cream while Grandmere looked after her mom. She'd seen the shirt in a store window on the way. She'd only stopped long enough to press her nose to the glass, looking at all of its pretty sequins on the mermaid's tail, and the glitter in her red hair. Red like hers...

Mikey had taken her right in and bought it, along with the bouncy skirt that matched. She hadn't even done anything extra good to earn it. But that was Mikey. That was her dad. He'd listen to her stories, laughed at her jokes, and he gave the bestest hugs ever.

But best of all, he made her mom happy. Not sad like she was before he came. And that's why she loved him. Because that's what daddy's were supposed to do, and he did a good job.

"Yeah, _Alli_ ," a big kid mocked Lucy, "go play _princesses_. That's a _baby_ game, and you two are _babies_." The boy scowled at them. "Hurry up, and slide already. I want my turn."

He pushed Alli and she tripped over Lucy. Alli's insides rushed hot as she scrambled to get up, her little hands balling into fists. "Leave us alone!" she yelled, with a stomp of her foot.

The buck-toothed boy sneered. "Say, don't you get dropped off with that new mutant boy? What's his name? Hamandpotato?"

The boy jabbed her in the chest and she stumbling back into the railing. As she looked around for Lucy, her friend was nowhere to be found. Alli's jaw clenched as she bared her teeth. "I said leave me alone!"

The boy laughed, and so did his friend sauntering up behind him. "Whaddya got here, Joey?"

The second boy was even bigger than Buck-tooth. Alli met his brown-eyed glare with a sneer of her own.

"Ain't your daddy a mutant? He dropped you off with that turtle kid. I seen it. Them stinkin' mutant turtles." The boy sniffed. "Yep, you stink just like them."

What? That was her family they were talking about! Her chest grew tight and tears burned her eyes. They couldn't talk about her family like that. It was mean. "My daddy does not stink and neither does me or Anton!" Alli yelled.

The boy's lip curled. "Them mutants is nasty fuckers. My daddy says they should lock 'em all up before they take over the world. Ain't no good for nothin but stealing and beggin' for money."

"My daddy isn't nasty! He's my daddy and I love him!" She sprung forward, poking the bigger kid in the eye.

"Ow! My eye!" The boy cried out, covering his face.

Three more boys filled the bridge. "What's wrong, Blake?"

Buck-tooth answered for his crying friend. "This stinky mutant's kid poked him in the eye. Get her!"

Alli's eyes widened as Buck-tooth's hand flew toward her shirt. She swung and kicked as he pulled at it, screaming and growling at the top of her lungs. Then she heard the fabric rip and her heart clenched. "No! My shirt!"

"Get offa her!" Anton screamed as he sailed over Alli's head.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim shifted uncomfortably in one of the two chairs in the human resources woman's office. She tugged on her dress, half wondering if she'd put it in the dryer by mistake. The material was scratchier than she remembered and her skin had a bizarre creepy crawly sensation to it.

Plus, was it hot in there? She grabbed a notepad from the desktop and fanned herself with it. It had been a crazy two weeks of any-time-of-day sickness, random hot flashes, cold flashes, skin irritations, headaches, dizziness, and treatments, all mixed in with things she touched randomly breaking.

Not to mention that packing had been a miserable feat. Mikey had been doing the best he could to follow her instructions, but she'd been sick for a lot of it and had to keep stopping. In the end everything was everywhere.

She was supposed to be moving. In fact her family was moving her right then and yet there she was called in for a half day only to be pulled off her register to meet with HR. And why?

Her stomach growled and she wanted to scream. "Jesus, when is this woman coming?"

The door behind her opened and closed. "Thank you for meeting with me, Denim."

"Sure. What's going on?" Denim glanced at the clock behind the busty blonde taking her seat. "I wasn't actually supposed to be here today. I'm moving." She fidgeted in her seat, fretting with the clingy dress.

The human resources woman clasped her hands in front of her. "Denim, you've been coming in late and leaving early a lot lately. We're meeting today because your supervisor has expressed his concern."

Denim stilled, locking eyes with the woman. "I've been undergoing specialized medical care, Stacey. I've tried to work over to make up for the time I missed and I've done things like I did today, coming in on my day off."

"Do you have notes from a doctor for this," Stacey motioned towards Denim, "medical care?"

Denim blanched. What had Phoenix and Donnie told her to say? They'd been coaching her for days, encouraging her to tell her employer, but she'd been busy packing in between IV supplement treatments and eating like food might become nonexistent. "No."

Stacey frowned. "Look, Denim-"

 _Oh god they're going to fire me. Not now! Not now!_

"It's just- I'm- I'm pregnant and I've decided to choose a natural path. Not doctors." Was that what they told her? Did she say it right?

"I see." Stacey sighed. "Denim, are you going to be able to keep a forty hour schedule throughout this pregnancy? Because as of right now it doesn't seem like it, and we need our shifts covered and employees on time."

Before Denim could respond Stacey went on.

"James has recommended we cut your hours until you can prove that you're capable of working the hours you're scheduled."

"But my benefits," Denim protested, rubbing her itchy belly.

"We offer reduced packages to part time employees." Stacey replied.

Denim stared at her while drawing a quivering lip between her teeth. "My healthcare?"

"Part time employees are on the HMO plan." Stacey pointed a manicured finger toward Denim's stomach. "But if you're pregnant with a mutant baby they won't cover you. But your daughter will have coverage at least."

Tears burned Denim's eyes as she tried in vain to blink them away. Maybe she was hormonal, which she hated because it was so stereotypical of a pregnant woman and Denim was anything but that. But where she should've been outraged, where she would've usually had fight, right then she was just tired. "I thought this company was mutant friendly."

"It is." Stacey motioned to the brochure Denim was fanning herself with. "We are willing to employ mutants, and they are welcome to shop here. In fact as employees they can purchase this health insurance policy."

Denim handed over the documents. "I don't understand."

"Well it's simple. A mutant pregnancy is high risk and therefore not covered. They will pay for an a-"

"Stop. How dare you even suggest such a thing to me." Denim summoned her reserves, getting to her feet even as tears slipped down her cheeks. "When does this part time thing take effect?"

"Immediately. You are welcome to take the afternoon for yourself and we'll see you bright and early-" Stacey flipped through the papers, "Ah, here it is, tomorrow from nine to two... Oh and you'll work Friday through Sunday."

"What? That's fifteen hours a week! I can't pay my rent with that!" Denim's hands shook as she opened and closed them at her sides.

"I'm sorry, Denim. Hopefully you'll demonstrate that you can meet this company's needs of their full time employees and get moved back to that schedule." Stacey stood, taking a few steps toward the door. "I must apologize again as I have another meeting to get to. If you have any questions," she held the paperwork out to Denim, "my email and extension are in the folder."

Denim sniffled as she wiped her eyes then took the folder. Stacey held her office door open and Denim left feeling defeated.

She walked the three blocks to the subway somewhat in a daze. It was her ravenous appetite paired with the scent of pizza that snapped her out of it

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe had a lot on her mind. Even more than she did two weeks ago. Before she'd primarily worried about her family being hunted. While she was fairly certain that threat lingered, waiting for the perfect opportunity, she had a more immediate concern pressing the forefront of her mind.

Antonello.

More specifically his teacher, his principal, the group of kids bullying him... And how she was going to tell Raph about the phone call she just took.

"Hey, Z, can you load these boxes in the van?" Karai thrust three large cardboard boxes into Zoe's arms, forcing her into the present.

Karai cocked an eyebrow. "Want to talk about whatever it is that's got you in la-la land?" A devious smirk graced her red lips. "If you've got a beer stashed around here I want-"

"Quit standing around jabbering you two and get back to work!" Raph grumped, as he stomped through Denim's near empty living room.

"B team to A team, over." Donatello's voice came over the walkie-talkie strapped to Raph's utility belt. "Anybody seen Mikey, the Sharpie, or the packing tape in the past fifteen minutes?"

"What team am I on again?" Aries asked, coming up behind Raph with his arms full.

Medusa stuck her head out of the kitchen. "I don't know, but that's way too long for Mikey to be missing with those items."

Karai was still watching Zoe who almost dropped her boxes upon Raph entering the room. Given the option of a grilling she'd take her sister over Raph. She didn't have to live with Karai.

"What's wrong with you?" Raph asked when Karai made for the door but Zoe had failed to move.

She sucked in a breath, avoiding eye contact with him as she followed Karai.

"Hey, I know that look! Z-" Raph stomped out the door after her, still running his mouth, but Zoe heard Leo's voice over the walkie anyway. Maybe because she didn't want to hear Raph. Not at the moment anyway.

"A team to B team that's a negative on Mikey. But if anyone sees him, his bedroom has been packed. We're working on his bathroom now." Leo's voice grew distant as if he were talking to himself. "You can tell he packed these boxes himself. I thought he was going to let Denim help him? I don't know how they'll ever get them open there's so much tape on here."

.

TSOTCTSOTC

April started to lift what looked like a moderate sized box, but found she couldn't even manage to get it off the ground. What did they have in there, bricks?

Gently peeling back some of the tape, she lifted the edge of the cardboard to peek inside and groaned. Books. All books.

She'd made the same mistake when she'd first moved in with Donnie. A single book didn't seem very heavy and they all fit so nicely together that packing a box full of books was like assembling a geometric puzzle. Until you tried lifting it.

Fortunately for her, she'd had a great deal of super-humanly strong relatives to negate the error in judgment. She supposed technically Denim did too, but she wasn't quite ready to admit defeat.

Focusing intently, she willed the box upward, grasping it from underneath as it rose. With the weight distributed between body and mind, the task was now doable. Plus, she could count this towards training her mental abilities.

Smiling victoriously, she made her way down the stairs to the van. It wasn't in her nature to back down from a challenge and when she set her mind to something, it got done.

The latest example of which was her and Karai's counter campaign against the AFH's media barrage.

Years of working with Donnie had helped her become impressively tech savvy and she'd used that expertise to create an online organization, plugged in across all forms if social media. The goal was to educate society at large about who mutants were and what their lives were like, generate petitions to alter and influence laws, at least at the local level, and network out in the hopes of forming similar groups across the nation, ones that could link up and put some real pressure on Congress. Money was something of a problem, but she was hopeful that the various donation drives they kicked off would reap some resources. And she'd gotten it all together in record time.

Karai managed the top level presentation with a cunning that had surprised her, though it really shouldn't have. Though Karai indulged in the luxury of being herself, now that she'd found her real family, she'd been raised as a weapon, efficient and deadly, and was as skilled in psychological warfare as she was in combat. Effective as it was, April had to admit that Karai's ability to read and manipulate an audience was a bit unnerving. And she wasn't even psychic.

Well, as long as they ended up helping people and securing some well-deserved rights, it was an ironically beneficial use of the Shredder's training. She could take heart in the thought of him rolling over in his grave as his lessons were applied to the pursuit of social justice.

Everything was finally up and running and she couldn't wait for the response.

TSOTCTSOTC

"Where the shell is Mikey?" Raph yelled into his walkie.

Not realizing he was still holding down the button he snapped at Zoe as she rushed by him with an armload of boxes. She kept trying to hide her face behind them only to peek so she could see where she was going. "Don't think you can avoid me forever. Whatever it is I'm gonna find out."

She ducked behind her boxes again only to steal another glance around them, narrowly missing a collision with Arcos. As she veered right to get around him her packages tipped left and toppled over.

"Are you okay, Zoe?" Arcos asked, helping her pick everything up.

"How'd you manage that, Z? It's not like ya cain't see him!" Raph put down the chair he'd just picked up and made his way over to them.

Zoe inspected the boxes, reading Denim's neat print on some and Mikey's scribble on others. She'd not heard any glass shattering. "I don't think we broke anything. I mean, I don't think I broke anything."

Arcos said nothing as he handed her a box before gathering up his own. Zoe paused to watch him, while ignoring her mates questioning. Had he lost weight? "Arcos, are you okay?"

His eyes flashed with recognition, but right as he was about to answer Raph snatched the boxes, collecting them in one hand as he grabbed her with his other. "We need ta talk."

TSOTCTSOTC

"A team to B te-"

"Oh, Leo, cut it out with the A team B team crap." Karai hissed into the speaker. "Half of us don't remember the team you assigned us to. So, just say what you want."

It wasn't that she didn't want to help her brother and sister move, but she didn't want to spend the entire day doing it. Mikey was MIA, Denim at work, and there the rest of them were moving their stuff! Like she had nothing else to do while neither of them could bother to be there.

"Did you hear me, Karai? If this were a mission you'd-"

"Leo, can it with the mission stuff!" Raph barked into his walkie. "I'm yellin' at Zoe and can't hear myself for all the ranting about strategy!"

Karai snickered as Raph abruptly left the line in time for her to hear Leo huff into the walkie before releasing his button, freeing up the channel. Then Zoe could be heard, giving Raph a taste of his own sarcasm.

"And another thing-" Raph began.

"You can it, Raph! He didn't do anything. It's me your mad a-"

Zoe was cut off as Raph released the button and Karai decided to take an extra long time with the boxes in Denim's closet. She had more important things on her mind than trivial banter between family members.

She sat on a box, flipping through various social media outlets, generally pleased with most of the responses to her first video speech. It was made to introduce the organization that she and April created, and was initially only for investors. But one of the newest board members liked it so well he'd shared it with a friend, who then shared it with someone who had real clout.

A huge endorsement had just come through. She hadn't even had a chance to tell April before learning what their newest investor had done. Along with sending them a significant sum of money, renowned businessman Paul Humphrey had revealed her recorded pitch, to the world.

The only problem with that was he didn't ask first. It was quickly reaching ten thousand views, almost as many shares and-

Her phone vibrated with an incoming message.

GRP MSG, Donnie: (video content attached). When were the two of you planning on telling the rest of us?

Karai was fairly certain Donnie would call April first, maybe even just show up and abduct her. The group message was addressed to her and April only, so it was really just a heads up. Which was fine, because it would take him a minute or two before he outed them to the rest of their family.

Which he would.

Then she'd have to deal with Leo's bullshit.

Flipping through some of the comments below her video, one in particular caught her attention.

JudgeJuryandExecutioner: Your brainwashing won't work on our people. The human race will prevail. Your kind and anyone who endorses your lies will hear the truth. Too late for you, since you did this presentation yourself instead of hiring a spokesman. Go sterilize yourself. Wait- we'll send someone to do it for you. - JJE

Usually threats didn't bother her, idle or otherwise, but there was something familiar about this. Her finger hovered over the comment before she highlighted it.

As moderator of the forum it was her right to delete it. At this point, this early on in their campaign, she didn't need any of her family members seeing feedback like this, including April. She didn't want her sister doubting their safety for speaking out.

Karai just had to make sure she was the one conducting the video messages. She'd leave the written articles to April. No one would see her sister's pretty little face and she'd be safe, at least until she could remember where she'd seen that moniker before.

With a tap the comment was gone.

TSOTCTSOTC

The line at the pizza parlor, which happened to be the one Mikey worked at, was out the door. It wasn't that Denim had sought it out specifically, it just happened to be close to her work and the first one she came upon. Not that he was working. Unlike her, he'd actually been granted the day off for their move.

It was still a good lunch choice though, seeing as the manager knew her and would give her Mikey's discount. Unfortunately, that privilege did not include cutting to the front of the line.

The sun was reaching its highest point and the heat radiating from the sidewalk was near unbearable. Sweat gathered on her skin, dripping down her bra and over her swollen breasts. She pulled the sides of her dress in an effort to keep it from clinging to her skin as she stood in line.

The exit door on the opposite side opened, sending a rush of cool air laced with the familiar scent of pizza her way. Then the doorway was filled with someone carrying a stack of pizzas. Even behind the tower that covered his face she recognized his hands.

"Mikey?"


	28. Chapter 27

Donnie frowned at his phone as the message sent. He really should have told Leo immediately and if it had just been Karai, he might have, but he wasn't about to throw April under the bus without giving her a chance to explain herself.

Not that this should have been a surprise. If he'd actually listened to April when she'd blown up at the AFH commercial weeks ago, he would have realized what would inevitably follow, but he'd been distracted by all the things that he needed to do and had only thought he'd been giving her an encouraging pep talk. Of course she'd fight back. It wasn't in her nature to stand down, especially not when it was personal.

Eyes scanning the campaign page once more, he felt a pang of longing. It would be a lie to say he didn't want it. He still felt the bitterness of being denied college despite being more than qualified. And the hostility of those who would have been colleagues had he been human, still stung, as though they resented his self-taught achievements. Instead of working among the world's best minds to revolutionize the world with advancements in space travel, clean energy or climate disaster solutions, he'd been relegated to working for the few who were more practical than hateful, as disdain for his discoveries among leading scientists at his discoveries actually set theory back a few notches as they fixated on demonstrating that he was wrong. It wasn't fair and hurt more than he was willing to admit.

More than that, he wanted to marry April and have it acknowledged by the world instead of the small ceremony they'd conducted privately among their family. It ate at him that other people and sometimes even clients, didn't take their relationship seriously, thinking that they could talk April out of her experimental mutant phase and steal her away from him. He wasn't actually worried about losing her to anyone, but the blatant disrespect most other people showed for their love was intolerable. She deserved better. They deserved better.

He wasn't going to pretend that he didn't want any of it. He wanted all of it. But not at any cost. The risk was too great. This would make April and Karai, their whole family even, the focal point of the country's prejudice. The thought that he might lose her to the senseless violence of someone's irrational hatred terrified him.

It didn't help that they couldn't have picked a worse time, with the EDF gunning for Zoe and likely willing destroy their family to get to her. They'd be more than happy to make use of any dust ups from the turmoil this caused to achieve their ends. With Denim essentially out of commission while she fought for her own survival and that of her and Mikey's unborn child, it was a disaster waiting to happen. Not to mention how paranoid Leo was about their family getting any kind of public attention even after they'd all started pursuing their topside lives.

Catching sight of the time as he peeled his eyes off the screen of his phone, he sighed. Hopefully Denim would make it back soon. She would need another injection of her mutagen antihistamine. It still needed some refinement, but was still preventing most of her body's self-inflicted damage. Missing a shot would cause her immune system to start amping up again.

Wishing he could just shut his head off for a moment, he stuffed his phone away and returned to the task of optimizing the box arrangement in the truck. The inefficient system of packing that Denim and Mikey had employed couldn't be helped, but at least he could streamline the unloading process based on the floorplan and likely room designations of their new place, with the fewest possible trips through New York traffic. It felt good to focus on a solvable problem.

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo took a few moments, taking deep controlled breaths. No one was listening again. The process was supposed to be simple and efficient, so that they wouldn't have to waste the entire day on it and no one cared. On top of that Mikey had ditched without a word, leaving him to handle all of Mikey's junk on his own.

Not that there was very much. It seemed a lot of Mikey's things had slowly gravitated over to Denim's apartment during the past year. On top of that, he didn't have much to begin with. There was little to no furniture to speak of and what there was had been scavenged from what others discarded, not unlike how they'd once furnished the lair in what seemed like a lifetime ago. Regardless, they'd opted to go with Denim's furnishings, so he'd spent most of the morning helping Mikey drag what he did have to the nearby Goodwill donation center to find a new home.

What remained were boxes upon boxes of random things that Mikey collected over his lifetime. It was hard to read under all the tape, but he gleaned that stuffed cardboard containers were haphazardly filled with comic books, VHS tapes of shows they'd enjoyed as kids and one even held that top hat-wearing, stuffed iguana. He'd been sure that Raph had destroyed that long ago, but somehow it managed to survive.

With a sigh, he sent Mikey another irate text before stacking up as many boxes as he could balance at a time. The sooner he loaded up the truck and dropped all this off, the sooner he could get back to Denim's place. It would be much easier to direct everyone in person.

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey stacked up the boxes of pizza, repeating to himself that he'd lucked out. Sure it hadn't exactly been the best possible time for Woody to call with the opportunity, but he was grateful that his friend hand managed to maneuver around the owners to get the chance to him.

He'd known Woody a long time, sort of. But as he'd been the first human they'd technically ever met and had the honor of introducing them to pizza on that fated delivery run all those years ago, he would always hold a special place in Mikey's heart. True, most of his early interactions with them had been more along the lines of running terrified for his life as they're paths tended to cross in the craziest of situations. But after mutants went public, he'd managed to catch up with Woody through a stroke of luck, discovering that he had managed to remain in the pizza industry, working his way up to manager. He'd also learned that Woody had a name besides pizza delivery dude.

Despite all the craziness of mutant attacks, alien invasions and night time ninja battles, Woody had ultimately figured out that Mikey and his brothers were the good guys and had been more than happy to get Mikey a job at the parlor he managed, even if the owners were a tad reluctant about hiring a mutant. Woody seemed to argue with them, a lot, and was always apologizing to Mikey on their behalf although he wasn't entirely sure why. Sure they liked to pretend he didn't exist, but could anyone who had invested their lives in pizza really be all that bad? Besides Pizza Face, who'd probably been a cool dude before the mutagen had turned him into a crazy, mind-controlling, people-eating monster.

So when he got the call that the delivery guy quit without notice, he'd shot a text off to Leo and rushed down to claim the extra work, realizing only after he'd arrived that he'd brought the scissors and tape with him. Hopefully Leo wouldn't need those with the move.

Normally he didn't worry too much about money. As his old room back at the lair had proven, he'd never been too particular about his living conditions. And New York was as wasteful as it had ever been, so he could still find most of what he needed by trash picking and dumpster diving. Having the means to actually buy stuff was an unfamiliar bonus. But, in the past year, he'd realized that he liked to buy nice new things for Denim and Alli. The adorable mermaid ensemble his little girl had her eye on had about cleared him out, but he didn't mind. That's what money was for, right?

Though in the past few weeks, he'd come to the realization that actual nice apartments cost more than he was used to paying and that Denim was shouldering most of the burden. She needed to kick back, relax and focus on being healthy and happy, not work herself into the ground. The obvious solution to the dilemma was that he needed to earn more so that she could, though he fully expected her to pitch a fit when he brought it up.

So he'd dropped hints to Woody that he wouldn't mind picking up more shifts if possible and his pal had come through landing him the delivery gig when he wasn't cooking. It was perfect. Surely he'd be able to pick up the financial slack now.

Pushing through the door, into the crowded parlor, he started to weave his way out towards the little motorbike the place owned.

"Mikey?"

Pausing at the familiar voice, he craned his head to see Denim at the entrance, looking at him in confusion.

"Hey! You're done with work. That's great!"

She frowned. "I thought you had the day off?"

He grinned. "Well, there was an emergency opening, so now I'm the delivery guy too. Sweet, right?"

She didn't look entirely convinced. "What did everyone say when you had to go?"

"Well, I was in a hurry, so I just sent Leo a text." He shifted the boxes to balance them in one hand as he pulled his phone out to look at it. "Oops. I accidentally sent that text back to Woody. Leo's not gonna like that."

TSOTCTSOTC

"What did everyone say when you had to go?" Denim swiped at her eyes, her heart still dancing about her ribcage at sight of him. She wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around his neck when he grinned at her, but at the same time she wasn't all that pleased with what he was saying.

"Well, I was in a hurry, so I just sent Leo a text." He shifted the boxes to balance them in one hand as he pulled his phone out to look at it. "Oops. I accidentally sent that text back to Woody. Leo's not gonna like that." He flipped through his messages and winced. "Eh, no, and yeah, he-he, it looks like he didn't like it."

Denim sighed. "Mikey, how long is this shift? We can't both be gone while your family moves us? At least one of us should be there."

His eyes flickered with hurt. " _Our_ family, Blue Jeans, and it worked out, because you'll be there."

Yeah she'd be there, pointing, giving direction, answering questions, and getting in the way, then having to take a break from getting in the way. What she really wanted was to take a shower, eat like three pizzas and curl up with him on the couch. She pulled at the hem of her dress then drug her finger across her scoop neckline. "How long?"

He looked at her with eyes that were a heart-shattering bright blue, filled with emotions she recognized too well. They were shiny with a mix of concern and confusion, that even with his good intentions he was somehow in trouble. "It's a short shift." He murmured, studying her. "I should be home after lunch rush, around four-thirty when the second shift comes on." She made the mistake of sniffling again and he closed the short distance between them, a sudden sharpness in his gaze. "Hey, are you okay?"

 _No. I'm not okay._

The words pressed against her lips, but she held them back. There he was, always trying to do the right thing. They needed the money. She shouldn't even be giving him a hard time about taking the shift, especially after what happened at work. Not to mention he'd been so excited about their moving day and there it was upon them and he was making a sacrifice for them.

"Denim?" His fingers grazed her cheek then he gently stroked beneath her eye with his thumb. "What's going on?"

She didn't want to ruin the day.

The pizza boxes he held bumped her shoulder and the scent of food filled her head, cheese, artichokes, garlic butter, sundried tomatoes, chicken, she could name every topping. She sniffed, turning toward the containers, zeroing in on the one at the bottom of the stack. "Is it?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, looks like one of the customers likes the chicken artichoke too." He was still looking her over. "Have you had lunch? I'll go back and get you a couple slices of the ready-mades so you don't have to wait in line."

Her mouth watered and she nodded without thinking. He grinned, little wrinkles adorning the corners of his eyes. "You sit. I'll be right back." He motioned her inside, to a table near the kitchen door then disappeared into it.

Seconds later he returned with a large Sprite and three slices of her favorite.

"Oh my god, I love you." She reached for a slice taking three huge bites. "I'm starving."

His eyes filled with mirth as he watched her eat for a few seconds, then he bent over to kiss her cheek. "I gotta go, but I'll see you at home?" He smiled against her skin and her heart fluttered as he whispered, "First night with furniture in our new place. I'm excited."

She loved when he did that, when she could feel the sweet upturn of his lips, smell him, and have him close. At the same time her mouth was full, a harmony of flavors claiming her taste buds in such a way that in the deliciousness of it all she almost moaned. "Mmm, that does sound good. I think I'll order a couple pizza's to go. If I take lunch back with me maybe I can smooth things over with Leo for you."

"Sounds great." He kissed her cheek again, then straightened and turned to leave.

Seeing the tape dispenser and scissor handles sticking out of his back pocket she giggled. "Uh, Mikey?"

He glanced over his shoulder a big grin on his face. "Yeah?"

"You should probably leave the tape and scissors with me."

TSOTCTSOTC

"What the shell is going on?" Raph snapped, pulling Zoe into Denim's old bedroom and closing the door. "I can tell somethin' is. So, spill."

Zoe chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes fixed on the doorknob. Where did she begin? If she told him to stay calm he'd instantly freak out. If she told him Phoenix called, he'd flip out. If she told him there was a fight, he'd lose his shit. She sighed. "Phoenix will be here soon with Anton and Alli."

Raph's brow furrowed. He looked around as if searching for a clock then pulled out his phone. "It ain't time for them to be home."

"No. It isn't." She decided to try and keep the conversation at a slow pace for as long as possible while she tried to figure out a way for him to take it… better than he currently would… Well as good as Raph could take it anyway.

Internally she was trying to pick through what little information she had. Which overall was a lot, but incident-specifically speaking not so much. Anton had been picked on from day one at school. There was only one other mutant in kindergarten and only two others in the school. What he was experiencing couldn't have been any different than what other minorities did and _they_ still had to go to school. So she and Raph had encouraged him to be strong.

She had every faith that Anton could do this. And although he shouldn't _have_ to put up with it she kept pretty close tabs on the situation, which they all had agreed was something he could handle. Well, almost all of them. Not so much Phoenix.

But Zoe knew who the culprits were, how many of them there were, where and when they were bothering Anton. All thanks to Donnie's hidden cameras. Because she had such detailed information she was able to stay involved and on the up and up, which meant she could also see the teachers weren't taking it lightly and that not all of the kids were mean to him. That gave all of them hope.

Well… maybe not Phoenix. But Mom was… Mom.

They'd given Anton specific rules to which he adhered… well he had. She and Raph had instructed him to seek out an adult when picked on, not to start a fight, nor to engage in one if he could get away without harming anyone. He'd done that at least three times already.

What she hadn't counted on, and still didn't have all the details about, was what happened that day. And of course it would happen on the one day that she and Denim had left a note for the school to call Phoenix if anything came up with either kid. It just happened to be moving day, and both kids…Zoe could almost hear Phoenix's, 'I told you so.'

"Zoe? You gonna just stand there daydreamin' or ya gonna tell me what's goin on?" Raph nudged her. "Hurry it up. We're wastin' time. I want to get this moving stuff over, especially if Mom's bringing the kids. They're gonna be gettin' into shit and opening boxes while we're tryin' ta move'm."

Zoe squared her shoulders, and looked Raph in the eye. Anton may have gotten in a bit of trouble, but he'd done the right thing and she'd stand by him for that. "Alli got in a fight during recess. Anton saw she was in trouble, jumped in and punched a kid in the nose."

Raph blinked.

Then his mouth began opening and closing like a stranded fish.

"I don't have all the details. I just- from what Phoenix said he was defending Alli. I don't know why she was scrapping, the poor thing probably didn't stand a chance, but she's Alli, sooo-" Zoe shook her head, waving a hand in the air.

"Dammit." Raph's jaw worked. "Why the hell can't kids just get along?"

To this Zoe snorted. "Do you always get along with Leo?"

Raph glared at her. "This ain't a joke, Z."

"I didn't say it was. They're kids. I'm sure the ones doing the bullying are either imitating opinions they've learned from home or elsewhere, or maybe they have problems of their own. Our problem right now is what are we going to say to our son about this?"

Raph snorted. "Good job."

"That's not funny." Zoe sighed and rubbed her face, then began to pace.

"I ain't jokin. He followed the rules. We said don't start a fight. We said don't fight back if you can get away. We never said don't defend your cousin. And we never would." Raph put his hand on Zoe's shoulder, guiding her around to face him. "Did they say if Alli was hurt?"

She shook her head. "No. They called Phoenix for both kids, since Denim and I left notes saying we'd be unavailable today because of the move. I didn't get all the details yet."

TSOTCTSOTC

"Mrs. Hamato," the principal put his fingers together as Phoenix sat on the other side of his desk, Alli on one side of her, Anton on the other. "I want you to know that we are taking the incident that happened the afternoon seriously. But at the same time, we cannot condone Antonello's actions. We have a no tolerance policy."

"Which encourages bullying," Phoenix replied, "because the victim gets punished also."

"Mrs. Hamato," the principal started. "Antonello did a number on the boy's nose."

"Who did a number on his cousin's shirt," she replied.

He sighed. "I understand that you're angry," he said slowly. "But not all people agree-"

Phoenix held her hand up imperiously. "I understand perfectly," she replied. "I expect that the boy who ripped my grand-daughters shirt will be reimbursing us for it? I can obtain a receipt for it if you like. Or his parents can replace it outright. It's a size 4-5."

The principal looked at her and blinked.

"I take it our talk is over." She stood up, motioning for both children to do the same. They followed her obediently. "I expect you to handle this, Mr. Jackson," she said, her green eyes blazing. "Or I shall have to handle it, and I am not sure the boy's family will like that." Then she walked out of the room.

The principal followed her, and she heard the secretary say, "You can tell both those kids belong to her."

"Yeah, she's got the red headed temper. I hope Allison's mother isn't the same way."

"She must have gotten it from her," the secretary said. "I wouldn't doubt otherwise."

Then she was out earshot. She sighed, lowering her shoulders as she led the little ones out of the school. "Did you get his nose good, Anton?" she asked, nasalling his name with a French accent.

"Oui," he said with a smile.

"Don't smile like that with your mom and dad," she replied.

He erased the smile and it was replaced with a fierce scowl. "D'accord," he answered.

"What's da-kor mean?" Alli asked.

"It means OK in French. We will have to teach you."

"And Sofu will teach you Japanese, because he's jealous of us speaking French," Anton told her. "But you can't ever tell him that either." He leaned in front of Phoenix, pulling at her hand, "There are a lot of things you can't tell people," he whispered loudly.

"Like I love you," Phoenix whispered loudly to Alli.

Alli smiled, holding her shirt against her little chest as they walked.

TSOTCTSOTC

April approached the back of the van with yet another box when her internal alarm flared up, mostly with a mixture of awkward guilt. Given the recent launch of her and Karai's campaign, she had a pretty good idea what the problem was. Gently setting the box down near the back of the van, she turned, moving a quietly as she could, in the hopes of making a quick getaway before...

"April?"

How did they do that? By this point she'd had plenty of training as a kunoichi. How did they always manage to detect her?

Sighing in defeat, she turned back to face him. "Hey Donnie, just dropping off another box."

Clearly not buying it, he crossed his arms over his plastron and stared at her. "Is there something you should tell me?"

The question elicited a flicker of annoyance. Since he obviously already knew, he didn't need to beat around the bush. "It's not as though you haven't already found it."

He pursed his lips. "I shouldn't have had to find it. You should have told me."

Placing her hands on her hips, she met his gaze. "I did. It seems you weren't listening."

He paused for a moment and she could feel him rifling through the files of his eidetic memory for the moment she was referring to. It didn't take him long to find his way back to the day she'd fried their television, which incidentally still awaited repair, reexamining their conversation, seeing it in a new light. With a groan, he slapped his hand over his face.

"I thought you were just letting out frustration. I didn't think you were actually going to do something about it."

She just stared at him.

He shook his head. "Right. I should've known better. But couldn't you at least have waited until this threat against Zoe was resolved?"

Her mouth compressed into a thin line. "The AFH is already gaining momentum, buying politicians, influencing votes. And they will continue to do so as long as no one stands up to them. Everyday counts. I'm just sorry I let them go unopposed this long."

Donnie's eyes softened in concern. "I understand why you want to do this, I really do, but the danger..."

"Is worth the risk. It's not just for the rights we deserve now. It's about the future. What kind of world do you want Yuuta, Anton and Alli to grow up into? A just one? Because that won't happen if the AFH have their way. And what about our children when we choose to have them?"

She sensed him stiffen up at that last question, knowing that he'd been edgy on the topic for a while now. She'd given him time and was getting to the point where she was ready to press the point. But not now. Better to wait until the movement she was helping to create was strong and stable and gaining ground. But she wasn't giving up on it. She'd let it be...for now.

"Evil is allowed to reign when those who can oppose it do nothing. I won't be the one to do nothing and just let it happen."

He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "Ok, but I have to tell Leo."

She smiled. "You do that. I'm willing to face the consequences for my choices. It's worth it."

TSOTCTSOTC

K76 watched the matriarch lead the children out of the principal's office towards the building's exit. He'd witnessed the fight earlier in the playground and was expecting this. If there target were to be expelled, it would set back the effort of placing him in the early education classrooms as an aide, the previous one having had to take an abrupt leave of absence when the brakes spontaneously failed on her car.

Pulling out his phone, he dialed K2.

"Progress update?"

He scanned the hallway to make sure no one was in earshot, but all the teachers and students were currently in class. "There's a situation."

"Explain."

"The target engaged a set of other students on the playground in a physical altercation after they attacked the human child in the family. The target is now facing possible expulsion per school policy."

The phone fell silent for a moment. Finally K2 responded. "Did you see the incident?"

"Yes."

"Was the other children's attack on the human sufficient to count for the zero tolerance policy?"

K76 reviewed the incident in his mind. "Yes, however the lack of serious injury resulting from the attempt is allowing it to pass largely ignored. How is it relevant?" 

K2 chuckled. "We can make this work to our advantage. In incidents where all both sides are potentially at fault, the school is required to arrange arbitration between the students and parents involved. The hybrid and offspring will only be accompanied a few other members of their organization. There will be no better opportunity for an ambush. Will it only be your word regarding the fight?"

K76 thought for a moment. "No. At the corner there is a pawn shop, run by an opossum mutant, that has had an unusually high rate of break ins. It has security cameras that cover the school playground."

"Good. Convince the proprietor to provide it to you and make sure that arbitration gets scheduled."

"Yes sir." K76 ended the call and made his way towards the exit.

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho held stock still during the call, her side aching worse in response to her agitation despite her having removed the stitches days ago, as the call ended. Recently, K2 had been taking K76's updates on speaker phone to observe her reactions. She'd never been so good at maintaining her mask over the turmoil within, though it would do her little good now.

K2 was right. Such a meeting would only contain Denim, Michelangelo, Alli, Raphael, Zoe and Anton, per school policy. Given Denim's recently observed ill health and how unlikely it would be for her to arrive armed, that left only Michelangelo and Raphael as extraneous threats beyond the targets. If K76 killed the Hamato's surveillance at the right moment, a well planned ambush with the three of them would be more than enough.

She had to warn them. But how? Her every move was watched and scrutinized. Every word she said was heard and recorded. Her location was monitored every minute via GPS tracking. What could she do to save them?


	29. Chapter 28

Denim's phone rang right as she walked through her old apartment door. Assuming it was someone inside her place, and with her hands full of pizza boxes, she opted not to answer it.

Lifting one foot to kick the door shut put her off balance and she tipped too far right, catching a head rush as she corrected herself. Her skin pricked with sweat, and she panted from the mild exertion. All were symptoms that reminded her she was cutting it close for her injection. As she leaned against the wall for support she balanced the boxes in one arm then fished through the purse strapped across her torso in search of her phone. _What time was it?_ Her heart quickened as she glanced at the device, seeing the missed call was from Phoenix.

 _I hope Alli is okay._

A check of the time showed her running more than an hour late for her appointment with Donnie. He'd be calling next. That is if he wasn't already there.

While waiting for the dizziness to pass she listened for sounds of a Hamato, expecting the usual family banter. "Hello? Anybody here?"

She looked around the room, expecting a reply but not immediately getting one. Her living room was bare save for the well-worn carpet that she would need to vacuum before turning in her keys. She assumed the bathroom and kitchen could probably use a wipe down as well.

She eyed the dips in the carpet where the feet of the couch had left their

mark. Gradually the indentions blurred out of focus, replaced with images of a baby Allison, her hair just coming in. Denim had thought she'd be bald forever. Her tiny tot had first crawled around that very living room, chubby arms and legs pumping like she was off in a race once she'd figured it out. Then later she'd learned to walk with one hand on the couch cushions for support. It had been the two of them for so long, and although tiny, the apartment had served them well.

Before Allison was born it had been Denim, alone, in South Carolina. Her one tiny little girl changed her whole world in so many ways. Most of Allison's journey in life so far had taken place in that very living room. The two of them had been their own little family. But while Denim loved being a mom, she couldn't deny missing her best friend and husband with every passing breath. For every milestone Alli reached and he didn't get to see Denim had relived his death. Her sweet baby girl was a constant reminder of her loss.

Though Connie had forgiven her for Kyle's death it didn't mean they were on the best of terms, and Denim found she couldn't talk to her about him or anything else she was going through.

Not that there was time for mourning when one was pregnant, then giving birth, then raising an infant, then toddler, and now child. In all that time there was no one for her to confide in, to listen to her, to try to figure it out with her. Everything Alli needed began and ended with her and in her moments of exhaustion there was no relief. There was no shoulder for her to cry on or someone to say, 'hey I got this, go take a break.'

There. Was. No. One.

Then came Michelangelo.

Visions of a baby travelling along the couch shifted into Denim coming home late, many a night, to find Alli asleep on Mikey's shell while he drooled on her throw pillow with one arm dangling off the side. Sometimes it was the other way around, and he'd come home finding her asleep with Allison on her chest.

Depending on what time of night it was he'd do one of three things. If it was really late he'd put a blanket over them then sleep in the armchair beside the couch. If it was sorta late, he'd risk waking either of them by accident when he'd move Alli to her toddler bed, then carry Denim to theirs and he'd slip in with her for a snuggle. If it wasn't late at all, he'd take Alli to her bed then come back to join Denim on the couch, waking her with carefully placed kisses in all the right places. She loved all of those options.

She loved how he made her laugh, let her cry on his shoulder, knew when to talk and when to listen. He gave her breaks. He tried hard, and he loved harder.

And she loved him.

She loved what they were becoming and in many ways it had all began there.

It had been a good home.

A melancholy ache blossomed in her heart, which she tried quickly to shrug off. Those feelings were seldom helpful and lately led her straight to tears.

 _Damn hormones._

Her body flushed with heat and the warm pizza boxes weren't helping her comfort level any, serving to keep her even hotter than she already was. She crossed the small room, making her way into the kitchen.

Which had already been cleaned.

 _They really are amazing._

She placed the boxes on the counter, tugged at her dress for the hundredth time and wiped her brow. "I brought lunch," she murmured, apparently to no one.

The front door opened and Leo's voice filled the room. "I'm back. Mikey's place is done. But I still have no idea where he is. Guys? Anybody?"

"I'm in here, Leo. I just got here." She turned with a start, finding him already standing there.

"Sorry," he frowned as he looked her over. "I didn't mean to scare you."

They all had taken to giving her a full visual scan upon seeing her for the first time on any given day. There were lots of head to toe, glances, lingering on her face then drifting down to her abdomen. The girls would flat out ask how she was. But the guys would do what Leo was right then, and look away. Mikey was the exception of course. He'd taken to talking to her belly anytime, and after a particularly embarrassing trip to the grocery, apparently anyplace.

Before Leo could say anything else she flipped open a box and handed him a slice of pizza. "I'm almost certain you haven't stopped to eat. So dig in. Oh, and Mikey picked up a delivery shift at work. I think that expensive outfit he took the liberty of buying Alli about broke him." She picked up a slice for herself, taking a bite as she turned to face him again.

Leo gave a disapproving shake of his head. "Well he could've told me. He left with the-"

"I have the tape and scissors. And he tried to text you, but accidentally sent the message to Woody instead." She rooted through her messenger bag.

Bumping her phone she noticed a second missed call from Phoenix. She grabbed the tape and scissors and handed them to Leo. "I'm sorry, Phoenix has called twice and she was the school's contact for Alli today. I just need to make sure-"

"I told you I heard somebody out there!" Raph yelled, his voice coming from down the hall. His proclamation led to a cacophony of voices from Denim's old bedroom.

"I know that Raph. But I swear I heard something in the closet, too." Zoe refuted.

There was the sound of a closet door opening. "That would be me." Karai announced.

"Ack!" Raph shrieked then cleared his throat before grousing. "What the hell, Karai! Were you listenin' in on our conversation?"

Karai snickered. "Yes, I heard all about Anton punching that punk kid messing with Alli. And don't the two of you give him a hard way to go about it. If you ask me Anton let him off easy."

Denim's heart picked up an erratic rhythm as she locked eyes with Leo then looked to her phone. _What happened?_ _Was Alli hurt?_ Her hands were shaking as she fumbled, trying in vain to call Phoenix back. The thin device slipped from her fingers as if she were incapable of forming a grasp. She lunged forward to pick it up, sending a field of black spots before her eyes.

Dipping badly to the left, she was grateful when Leo's fingers curled around her bicep. "Are you okay?"

TSOTCTSOTC

The door opened loudly, the sound of children's laughter drifting in from the hall.

"Ooo," Anton's unmistakable gruff broke through. "I smell pizza!"

Phoenix walked into the kitchen, a child on each of her hips. The muscles on her arms were straining, but she made no move to put either child down. "Hello all," she stopped abruptly, seeing Leo clutching Denim. "Are you OK?"

Leo pulled out his phone and dialed Donnie as Phoenix quickly set down the now frightened children and rushed forward to help Denim sink slowly to the floor, leaning against one of the now bare walls.

"The trucks loaded and..." Arcos's voice trailed off as he and Medusa caught sight of Denim and Phoenix, having just come in from the stairwell. Medusa moved to coil around the confused children and Arcos stepped forward uncertainty. "Is she...?"

"Donnie, it's Leo. Denim's in the apartment. Get up here now." Leo ended the call and began to pace as he often did when there was a crisis that was completely out of his hands.

Moments later, Donnie and April burst into the room, Donnie digging a small case out of his messenger bag. Snapping it open, he plucked out one of several, small syringes, filled with a shimmery, clear fluid.

Rushing over to Denim, he knelt down at the side Phoenix wasn't occupying in stalemate as her powers kept Denim's symptoms from worsening.

"Too long. Too long. It's impossible to tell what a rogue immune system will attack when everything's a potential target. Dangerous." Donnie muttered to himself as he injected the fluid into the vein at her elbow.

"Her muscles aren't working right." Phoenix murmured, only partially present as she seemed to be seeing a world none of them could.

Donnie nodded. "Diaphragm, abdominal, intercostal. The spasms could be harming her internal organs and if this keeps up she won't be able to breathe soon. It will take too long for the serum to rein in her immune system."

Phoenix took a breath, placed her hands on Denim's mid section and focused. Slowly, Denim's breathing returned to normal and the room let out a collective sigh of relief.

Donnie started to close and tuck away his injection case.

Phoenix caught his eye as he stuffed it back into his messenger bag. "There have been others asking about the treatment."

Donnie cringed. "It's not ethical to test new technology on people."

"More ethical than letting things take their course or you wouldn't be using it on her." Phoenix gestured to Denim who was still coming gulping in lungfuls of fresh air while trying to look completely normal as she did so.

"It's not safe to self administer." Phoenix stared him down and he threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine. I'll review Denim's data and see if I can come up with a protocol for determine required dosage based on an individual's unique physical stats." Before Phoenix's smug expression could take root, he added "I don't have the set up for large scale production, though."

"The basement you rented out in our building has the space to set it up. We can relocate everything to the not haunted warehouse for now."

Arcos and Medusa shared a distressed glance that only April seemed to notice as she eyed them thoughtfully.

"We are gonna get in so much trouble." Donnie muttered.

"Only if we get caught." Phoenix pointed out matter-of-factly.

The extended range walkie-talkie crackled to life with Aries voice. "Is anyone planning on coming back here to help me unload, or am I doing it all myself?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim rubbed her face with trembling fingers. It had been the worst episode she'd had yet and her heart was still hammering. She worked hard at playing it down, but a near total loss of muscle control had left her suffocating inside herself. Pretending she was okay, and not completely freaked out, was getting harder to do.

Aries voice pierced the heavy silence, "Is anyone planning on coming back here to help me unload, or am I doing it all myself?"

"I'm okay. Please, go help him." She forced a smile to her lips, straightening a bit, finding her muscles achy from the seizure. "I want to get us moved. So we can start to unpack by the time Mikey's shift ends."

Phoenix frowned. "You already know what you need to do. You can rest at our place. We'll call you when it's time to unpack."

Denim would usually argue with her. But the episode, paired with the bad news from her work had left her drained. In truth she wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep. "I feel like one of us should be there though."

April offered her a hand, helping her off the floor. "We've got this. That's what family is for."

Denim glanced around the room from Leo and Donnie's nods of approval to Raph's affirming, "We're on it. Come on guys."

With that he, Leo, Arcos, and Donnie headed for the front door, leaving a lingering but quiet Karai, April, Phoenix, and judging by the serpent tail in the kitchen entry, Medusa.

Then she remembered Phoenix had called and Karai mentioned something happening to Alli and Anton at school.

Turning to Phoenix she asked, "Is Alli okay? I'm sorry I didn't return your calls. Stuff kept happening."

"I see that. She's-"

"I'm here, Mommy!" Alli squealed, bounding in from the living room while holding her shirt closed in one hand.

Denim's heart clenched at the nasty tear across the mermaid, most of the sequins gone from her tail. The fabric wasn't thin, someone would have to pull hard to rip it. "Oh, sweet girl, what happened to your shirt?"

Alli's eyes filled, and her lip trembled. "A big kid ripped it all up. He was gonna hit me but Anton stopped him."

"He was going to hit you!" Denim repeated, appalled.

Anton who was still in the living room had nothing to say to this, but Denim and Zoe exchanged worried looks. Denim pulled Alli in for a fierce hug, then guided her back at arms-length to look her over, before yanking her close again. "Are you hurt anywhere? What happened?"

"It's a long story," Phoenix replied. "I'll tell you on the way to my place. I want to make sure you get there in one piece."

TSOTCTSOTC

"Mom, I smell pizza, and I'm starved!" Anton announced, weaving around Denim, Alli, and Phoenix, on their way out the front door.

"Ahem." Phoenix stopped in the entry and Anton ground to a halt before wheeling around to face his Grandmere. "Remember what we discussed."

Anton set his mouth in a flat line and gave her a solid nod. Phoenix smirked as one of her strawberry blonde eyebrows lifted a bit. It was all the prompting Antonello needed to march forward and give her a firm hug, before she left.

Although she loved her son's relationship with his grandmother, Zoe watched this exchange with an ever growing knot in her stomach. He may not realize it, but she knew that the events of the day, whatever the details might be, were far from over for him. Alli on the other hand, a human child, would come out of this occurrence, hopefully, with no more than a torn shirt.

Zoe stopped herself, changing her mind. There was a sound chance she'd be reprimanded harder than a human girl without a mutant parent. That is if the school even considered Mikey her father. She knew Denim had him listed as an emergency contact, but he and Denim weren't married, and even if they'd had a mutant wedding ceremony, New York wouldn't consider it legal. So he really had no rights in regards to Alli.

She recognized the concern in Denim's eyes. And knowing how much the only two humans in the family had endured so far, maybe she shouldn't jump to the conclusion that this wasn't as big an issue for Alli. It was clear from Denim was bracing for the worst.

April placed a hand on Zoe's shoulder, interrupting her thoughts. "What else is there to do here?"

"It looks like all the rooms are empty, except for these last two bags." Medusa held up a duffle and a carry case in her skinny arms. "This one reeks of the oil Michelangelo uses on his chucks, so I'm guessing it's his weapons bag." She smiled at the rifle bag in her other hand. "And this one's obvious."

Karai snickered. "Hamato's through and through. Let's go to the new place and start moving boxes to the right rooms so it's easier for them to unpack."

"I'm just going to be sure the bathroom is wiped down then we'll head out. I already did the kitchen." April motioned to Zoe. "Maybe give it a quick once over again?"

Zoe loved April for her intuition, paired with her empathic abilities they made a good team. She had some parenting to do in the kitchen. "That's the perfect job for me. You girls go ahead. I need to speak with Anton."

She didn't wait for a reply. As she made her way into the tiny space part of her wondered how so many of their family members had fit in it.

She stood behind her son, watching him drag a slice around inside the pizza box then begin picking off the toppings. When he turned toward her, his eyes on the floor, there was no telltale sauce around his mouth.

Her heart begged her to snatch him up, shield him from the blows of his day. But he was his father's son, and had to be permitted to make the first move. She pointed to the pizza. "I thought you were hungry, Antonello."

He shrugged, keeping his eyes down. "Kinda," he grimaced as he put a hand over his stomach. "Stomach kinda hurts though."

Zoe reached around him, picking up a slice and taking a bite. "It's good. You might feel better if you eat." She leaned in close to him, struggling with the urge to kiss his perfect emerald cheek. "Want to tell me about today, while we eat?"

He shrugged again, his chin lifting a bit as he turned his head, stealing a glance at her before looking away again. "Depends."

At this Raph-like response she struggled not to smile. She enjoyed raising her mini-Raph, as it brought her already keen understanding of him to an even deeper level.

She straightened, taking another bite of her pizza and steeling herself. This was serious parenting. She couldn't turn to mush, wanting desperately to smother her little boy in kisses and shield him from the world and all of its ignorance and nastiness. But she wasn't going to scold him for protecting his cousin either. He'd enforced their family's unspoken code, to help those in need and protect their family at all costs.

In fact it seemed he was in danger of being the one found at fault, the one paying the price. Not that anyone had said anything beyond what Phoenix had told her, the twisting and churning in her gut promised it wasn't over for her mutant son. Not as easy as just being sent home. That would be too good to be true.

Trying to sound as indifferent as she could, she laid it out straight, the same way she would for Raph if he thought he'd messed up. "Anton, I need you to tell me exactly what happened. You already know, if you followed the rules, you aren't in trouble."

He let out a little grunt, but peeked at her again. "I ain't in trouble?"

Oh her heart, the way it hurt to look in those familiar green gems of his, flickering with the vulnerability he and Raph both struggled to keep hidden. "Anton, if you were protecting Alli-" she shook her head, "your dad and I already discussed it, and no way are you in trouble. But I don't want you thinking it's suddenly okay to beat people up either."

His pupils widened, his head lifting as he looked her square in the eye. "Oh, no, I don't, I swear. It's just there were like four or five of them and that one kid was hurting her." He scowled. "I tried not to punch him as hard as I wanted, Mommy, I swear."

Zoe pressed her lips together desperate not to giggle at the honesty of him. He was a good boy. And it wasn't funny, he had hurt another kid and for that she was worried. In fact she should be terrified for him. She could see the headlines now. "Mutant boy beats up human child. Dangerous!"

She broke her own rule as a lump rose to her throat, throwing her arms around him and yanking him to her. How would he feel if they blew this up? What would that do to him?

"Uh, Mom." Anton grunted.

Zoe swallowed hard, blinking furiously. "Yeah, baby?"

"I ain't a baby, and yer' squashin' me."

TSOTCTSOTC

Karai poured the bubble bath below the running tap, while Leo adjusted the settings on the TV that Mikey and Denim had given them. Mikey said they had two and they liked his better than hers and didn't want it. Since it was bigger than the one in their living room they accepted.

Leo had just finished setting the old one up in their parents room. As Karai dipped a toe in the water, she half wondered if they'd ever see Phoenix or Splinter again for the way they were already glued to it, watching soap operas from their bed. Poor Yuuta.

She could hear the news broadcaster, on the set Leo was toying with, from all the way in the bathroom. "Better turn that shit down," she mumbled, sinking deeper into the jasmine scented water.

Her muscles uncoiled, one by one, the heat making her drowsy as she let the day's hard work fade away. "Hopefully he won't get a wild hair and want to patrol tonight. I'm ready for bed."

Her eyes closed as she wished she'd lit candles and turned off the overhead light for full relaxation effect. "Mmm, and a glass of wine. Damn I'm slipping."

She almost dozed off when she heard it.

"Good evening, I'm Carlos Chang O'Brian channel 6, news. Coming up we have your local sports and weather but first the pro-mutant video that is going viral..."

She sank under the water blub-blubbing, "Oh shit."


	30. Chapter 29

Phoenix snuggled into Splinter as they got back into the bed after depositing Yuuta to his little toddler bed at the bottom of the room. "We need a bigger apartment," she muttered.

He sighed. Getting used to this tiny space had difficult for everyone. While they'd all been poor as church mice, or rats, literally, they'd had a huge living space that didn't run out of room. Ever. They could have truly kept an entire clan in the Lair in the sewer, or in the Back up Burrow, or even the Not-Haunted Warehouse.

A two bedroom apartment for four adults and an active little boy was not enough. Eventually, Yuuta would need his own space, and if Karai was ever successful in a pregnancy, or pregnancies (he hoped), there was no way they'd fit in this apartment.

But what choice did they have?

Being forced to think of such things made him feel less than. Being a poor provider had _never_ been an issue before the war. Now, it was a constant gnawing-did they have enough? Was he enough?

"I'm worried," his wife's voice broke through the noise of the television.

"I think we have quite a bit of time before we have to find another place to live," he replied.

She shook her head, "That's not what I meant," she said. "I mean, I'm worried about Anton and Alli."

He sighed. They'd been over this. More than once. And while they agreed on almost all points, it made no difference. "It is not your decision to make."

"I never said it was my decision to make," she sat up, separating herself from him. "I said I'm worried about Anton and Alli."

"That they will be expelled?"

"That would be a blessing," she muttered, slumping down.

"It would not," Splinter replied firmly.

"They shouldn't be there. Not with the attitude the way it is about mutants right now..." _Or always._

"Someone must be the first," he said with his 'sensei' voice.

"Why does it have to be them?" she asked. But before she could answer, both of them were caught by the television. "Is that Karai?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Their new apartment looked like had been hit with a tornado as Mikey haphazardly opened and partially unpacked several boxes simultaneously.

He'd made it home about twenty minutes ago to find everything in and generally arranged by room in their new place. Alli was already in her jammies and appeared to be eating ice cream for dinner. He heartily approved but was a little surprised as usually he and the kids were the only ones who shared that opinion.

Denim was unpacking boxes with everyone else trying to help despite her protests. Ultimately he'd split the difference and shooed everyone off before using the full force of his puppy dog eyes to convince Denim to rest on the couch for a bit while he took care of things.

Between Denim's forced cheerfulness and everyone else's wary observation of her, he'd figured something must have happened, which they were all carefully avoiding talking about in front of him. He wasn't as oblivious as they all assumed, but was more than happy to play along. If they didn't feel obligated to say anything, that meant she must be ok and he really didn't need any more nightmare fodder.

In any case he was glad to see her passed out on the couch with a snoozing Alli curled up at her side. A search of several boxes finally yielded a blanket to cover them with, a process he belatedly realized would have gone faster if he'd bothered to read the neatly detailed labeling system on each cardboard receptacle, and was now throwing himself full tilt into unpacking.

Denim's phone started ringing and he dove across the kitchen counter to answer before it woke her. "Hello!"

"Ms. Sanders?"

Mikey shifted into an upright position on the counter as he answered. "Uh nope. I'm Mikey. Denim's resting right now. Anything I can help with?"

"Well, this is Franklin Elementary and we really need to speak with Ms. Sanders..."

"Oh, if this is about Alli, I'm her dad, so I can help." He made a particular effort to sound as grown up as possible. Usually a Leo impersonation was sufficient to pull off the effect.

There was a pause and Mikey frowned. He was pretty sure that Denim had let the school know that he was Alli's dad.

"You're Alli's...father?" It sounded like the woman on the other end of the line had to force out the word father.

"Yup. So what's up?"

The woman sighed. "There's been some new evidence brought to our attention concerning the altercation today..."

"Alter-what?" Mikey interrupted.

Another pause. "It means fight."

Mikey jumped up. "Fight? Alli was in a fight? Is she ok? Wait I just saw her and she's fine. Did she win?"

"Mr. Sanders!" The woman stumbled over the name, sounding a bit the way Donnie did on the seventh or eighth attempt at explaining something.

"Uh, it's Hamato actually, but feel free to call me Mikey. Everyone does. New York's a little odd about marriage rules which is a major bummer cuz it'd be totally awesome to be married. Not sure which name we'd go with though. Ooh, maybe we could combine them, like Hamanders or Sanato."

"Mikey!"

His jaw automatically snapped shut on reflex as a result of years of conditioning to having his name yelled in complete exasperation.

The woman took a loud, calming breath before continuing. "In light of new evidence, we've decided to set up an arbitration to resolve the conflict between all parties involved. Especially in light of recent political events in the news, we would not wish the school to appear as anything less than unbiased. Ms. Sanders, Alli, and I suppose you, will be required to come to the school next week Thursday at 7pm to discuss the incident. We have parent teacher conferences that night, so it's convenient for the staff. Please make a note of the date and time."

Mikey wasn't a hundred percent sure he understood all of what she was going on about, but he had the gist. Show up at school next week Thursday at 7. "Sure, no prob..."

She hung up before he could finish. With a shrug, he started digging through more boxes for the magnetic dry erase board. No one besides Alli and Ice Cream Kitty ever seemed to find it funny when he wrote notes directly on the fridge no matter how important they were.

TSOTCTSOTC

"Have you lost your mind?" Leo yelled, throwing open the bathroom door in a very Raph-like tirade.

Karai lifted her head from behind a shield of bubbles, her eyes drifting to the now broken doorknob. "How very... Raphael of you, Leonardo."

His nostrils flared, the set of his mouth a hard line as he strode toward the tub. "What did you do? What did you do, Karai? What? Is it not enough that we have enemies out there hunting one of ours? Huh?" He threw up his hands, motioning wildly in the air. "And you go and decide to knowingly draw attention to our family?"

Karai watched his animated display, until a breeze drifted in through the open door. "Could you attempt to close the now broken bathroom door, before our parents come out of their room to find out what you're going on about?" She lifted a hand from the water. "Plus I'm catching a chill." She pointed to her arm. "Goose bumps, see?"

Leo's jaw worked as if he were chewing on his tongue. His eyes were a radiant shade of blue that she could just swim in, and his little fit paired with any sort of rare lost control turned her on.

He glared at her. "Stop it."

She lifted her brow, reaching for her loofah and running it over her arm. "Stop what?"

"Everything. Stop whatever it is I just saw on the news. The _news_ , Karai. Withdraw your whatever it is, have Donnie take the video down and shut down whatever you're trying to do."

He shut the bathroom door with his foot, never taking his eyes off her. "Don't do this kind of thing without telling me. It's sneaky. And stop," he waved his hands around, motioning toward her body, "stop rubbing things while I'm trying to talk to you."

One side of her mouth quirked up as she reached for the soap, continuing to lather up. "I can't withdraw a statement that I meant every word of, Leo. I can't stand by and do nothing while mutant's lose ground on the fight for their right to marry, to parent equally, to serve their loved ones as power of attorney, or for something as silly as using the same bathroom as everyone else!"

Her cool slipped and she slapped the water sending up a wave of bubbles that landed on Leo's shins. He watched her, unfazed, as she continued. "To do so many things that they could before they were mutated, when they were human. To do so many very simple and stupid normal things! I will fight for that!" She motioned toward him. "I'm not trying to be sneaky. It wasn't even supposed to be public. It was a fundraising speech given to investors. One of them shared it with someone who posted it without permission."

She stood up, sending a cascade of water down her body. It pooled at her feet as she stepped out of the tub. "And how dare you?" She jabbed him in the plastron. "How dare you demand that I stop? This is important to us, to your brothers, to you, to me, to all of us." She looked him square in the eye. "The only difference between this and a street fight is this is legal, it's out in the open and its-"

He snatched her hand up with one finger. "Risky. It's risky, it's dangerous, and it paints a target on your back. It draws attention to this family. This just isn't the time for something like this. Please," his voice lowered to a whisper, his mouth drifting close to her cheek, "please, stop."

His breath hit her face, smelling of his toothpaste and the sandalwood incense that clung to his skin. She had to focus, to stay sharp in order to win this argument. "I'm not going to stop. April's not going to stop. Donnie isn't asking her to. I need you to get behind me on this. Someone has to speak up, or one by one we'll lose everything and find ourselves hiding in the sewers again."

After a long silence he released her hand, his fingers slipping behind her head as his lips graced her brow.

He let out a resigning sigh. "Just... Be careful okay? And if anything happens, anyone harasses you, or tries anything you have to tell me." He leaned back, put a finger under chin. "Don't try to handle anything on your own, Karai. People die doing this kind of thing and I've already got so much to worry about. Promise me."

The threat she'd already received and deleted, flickered to the forefront of her mind before she consciously erased it again, choosing instead to distract her mate with a brush of her lips. Her heart sputtered and jerked as he grabbed her by the hips, lifted her up and planted her on the bathroom counter.

He was stressed, worried for every member of their family, but unable to contain them all so he could protect them. She got it. She understood.

Her fingers dug into the hard knots below the rough flesh covering his sculpted biceps, while his hands drifted to her breasts and he worked her mouth greedily.

 _Yes, take your stress out on me. Work it out, leave it behind you, if only for a while._

The mirror behind them steamed over, while the water cooled in the tub beside them. Then the rapping on the broken door nearly pushed it open.

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe rested in Raph's arms, a sheen of sweat clinging to them both as she tucked a damp lock of hair behind her ear and looked up at him. "What are you thinking about?" she asked, while dragging her toes along his calf.

A soft stream of city lights illuminated their room, casting the outlines of everything in beautiful silhouettes, but it was the shine of his crystal green eyes that had her wanting to start everything they'd just finished all over again.

He ran his fingers along her forearm, keeping his gaze fixed on the ceiling, and she knew whatever was playing out in his mind was heavy.

"Raph, he's going to be okay." She kissed his bicep then feigned biting it.

He ignored the playful gesture, silent for a moment too long, just enough to tempt her to read his emotions.

"Don't do it, Z." He chided as she shifted her hand, giving her a little squeeze.

Summoning her energy back into herself like a vacuum, she played off her intent by resuming running her foot along his calf. "Don't do what?"

He flashed her an irritated glance then looked to the ceiling again. "The school called earlier, while you were in the shower. Anton's suspended until some kind of meetin'." He sighed. "It ain't gonna be fair. With the other kids bein' human and all. I don't want this shit messin' with his head. We tell him one thing and they tell him another. He tries to do somethin' right and they're gonna make him out to be the bad guy. I just-" His voice broke as he gripped her arm, tighter than he realized.

Zoe wiggled until he loosened his grip, then rolled on top of him. She rested her cheek against the rough keratin that protected his body from so very much, knowing it was her job to protect his heart just beneath it.

Even as she had doubts of her own, she was compelled to comfort him. "It's going to work out, Raph. We've stopped alien invasions, fought in wars, and had a son. I'm pretty sure we can see him through elementary school."

He let out a tension fraught laugh. "Yeah, it cain't be any worse than tellin' my dad Anton was comin' when we were teenagers, right?"

Zoe suppressed a snort of laughter, lifting her head to look him in the eye.

He grinned as they recalled their announcement.

"I was terrified." They said in unison.

"My dad is," Raph began, Zoe at the same time saying, "You're dad is-"

"Scary as hell." They finished together.

Raph reached up, running his fingers along the red strands that refused to stay tucked away. She smiled as he tugged gently, pulling her to him. "Love you, Z."

"Love you too, Raph."

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim's chest grew heavier by the second. It was like someone was sucking the air from her lungs, or they'd forgotten how to function. She flailed, or tried to, but her arms wouldn't move. Her mouth wouldn't open as she suffocated within herself. Then everything grew black and her eyes opened, heart racing, blood pumping, to her new living room with Alli sleeping on her chest.

 _A dream. It was just a dream_.

Her hands were shaking.

 _No. It was a nightmare_.

She inched to a sitting position on the couch, then maneuvered her daughter to the side, covering her with Mikey's fluorescent orange fleece blanket. The color of it was so bright it reflected the city lights drifting in from the balcony. But of course he loved it.

 _Where is he anyway?_ She looked around, frowning when she didn't find him in his favorite armchair. As she stealthed across the living room she noticed light under their bedroom door at the end of the hall.

She hesitated, wanting to see him and talk to him, but she had nothing good to say and after an evening of pretending everything was okay... She just didn't have the energy to fake it anymore.

She slipped into the kitchen, finding it mostly unpacked, noting that her ninja love had been busy while she slept. She sighed, regretful that she'd slept instead of helping him.

Her stomach rumbled as she opened the pantry, rooting through it then deciding to organize it while she made her selection.

"What do you want to eat, little one?" She murmured running a hand over her little pooch of a belly, then moving boxes of pasta, turning them so the labels all faced in the same direction.

That's when she started tidying the baking supplies.

Then she found a box of brownies.

Her mouth watered, anticipating dark chocolate goodness, warm and gooey... Quickly she grabbed the box, vegetable oil, and an egg from the fridge.

She opened all of the cabinets, leaving the doors wide as she searched for a bowl and spoon. Her mind worked as she collected her supplies.

She wasn't being honest on multiple accounts, not with Mikey. And he deserved better.

She dumped the mix into a large metal bowl, then added the egg, oil, and water.

But if she told him about her job he'd tell her it was fine, then work even more.

She stirred until the batter was smooth then stared at it. It smelled so good. Her stomach growled, she dipped a finger in the mix, tasted it and frowned. "Needs more chocolate."

Back to the pantry she went.

If she told him about Alli's shirt, he'd be upset, and he'd probably want to buy her a new one, which they couldn't afford.

She grabbed a bag of chocolate chips, opened and dumped them into the batter. Then she began stirring again.

And what about her episode that afternoon? That was a full out shutdown of her muscles. Nothing worked. She was fully conscious as she suffocated. And she hadn't been able to tell him that either. It would've been pointless to worry him, she was fine after all.

The wooden spoon snapped in two and she stood staring at it, unable to focus on the oddness of what she'd done, instead finding herself drawn to the glossy chocolate waiting to be baked. Only she didn't want to wait.

She hadn't even preheated the oven.

Using the scooping end of the broken spoon she dipped it in the batter then drew it to her lips, licking it off with a satisfied moan.

She plunged it into the bowl, coating the fractured utensil again and again before she realized she wasn't alone.

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey was just putting the finishing touches on the bed frame assembly when he sensed someone moving around the apartment. After listening for a few seconds, he was pretty convinced that it was Denim.

Pouting a bit, he dug deeper into the box and pulled out the mattress pad and sheets. He'd been hoping she'd sleep through until morning, with him pulling out the full ninja stealth mode to get her and Alli into the newly assembled bed. After how complicated his and Denim's bed had turned out to be, he didn't think Alli's twin was getting put together tonight.

Stuffing the pillows into their cases, he fluffed each and plopped them on the mattress. Just in case, he dropped the comforter at the foot of the bed, but honestly, it was probably way to hot to snuggle down into that. Right now, their apartment had no air, though he was sure Donnie could fix them up with one of those fancy portable thing-a-ma-bobs that he'd installed in everyone else's place. Mikey had tried it a couple of times in his old place, but it would consistently vanish from his apartment each time he went to work and then he'd have to wrap more duct tape around the door knob to keep the handle on. Denim had always insisted that there was nothing wrong with the window air conditioners that she'd always used, but as they seemed to have vanished in the move, he suspected that Donnie was subtly disagreeing. One night without AC wouldn't kill them.

Sliding open the windows to let the cool, night air flow in through the screens, he declared the bedroom habitable and went in search of Denim. To a mix of amusement and mild dismay, he found her in the kitchen vigorously mixing a bowl of brownies. She was completely adorable with a touch of brownie mix dusting her cheeks and nose. But usually, intense bouts of cleaning or cooking were signs that he was driving her up a wall.

The wooden spatula in her hand snapped in half, startling Mikey. He'd broken one or two, but in his experience, they were sturdy enough that normal people should have to be intentionally trying in order to break them. Then she proceeded to use the broken halves to shovel raw brownie batter into her mouth, smearing chocolate all over her face. She looked just like Alli when they gave her the mixing bowel to lick clean and he had to stifle a giggle.

Denim froze and slowly turned, her cheeks flaming red under the smears of chocolate. It looked like he'd been caught. Show over.

With a smile, he closed the distance between them. Glancing briefly at the bowl, he asked. "Did I screw up unpacking?"

She shook her head as she looked around for a napkin, using the back of her hand to try and wipe away the chocolate mess in the interim. She was just smearing it around more.

"No. I'm just starving and brownies sounded really good. Then I didn't want to wait for them to bake."

His grin widened. "I hear that. Who can wait like forever when there's perfectly great chocolatey goodness right in front of you."

She cocked an eyebrow at him, as though trying to decide whether or not he was serious or teasing her. She'd realize soon enough that it was both.

"Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "Everyone's got tells when I'm driving them up a wall. You usually get busy."

She frowned, reaching out to stroke his cheek, painting a streak of chocolate across it. "You've been great."

His smile was back in full force. "Good. Cuz I want to enjoy this."

Scooping up more batter on the broken spoon, he offered it to her. As she hungrily wrapped her mouth around the end of it, he licked a line of chocolate off her cheek, hoping Alli would stay passed out a little while longer.

TSOTCTSOTC

Donnie sat in the glow of his computer monitor, tapping away at the keyboard. Deleted didn't mean gone. Everything was always somewhere on the internet.

"You'd better not be 'optimizing' my web design."

At the sound of April's voice, he almost jumped out his shell. Spinning the computer chair around, he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Oh, hey. Just checking on people's reactions to the video."

She put her hands on her hips, clearly not convinced. "Uh huh. And?"

He shrugged. "The comments are across the board. Some supportive, some curious, some need to read the sight guidelines for appropriate language."

She raised an eyebrow. "What are you after?"

Ugh. Getting anything past April was impossible. He loved that, but sometimes it could be frustrating. "There's a deleted reply in the thread that I'm trying to recover. Why did it say and why didn't you want anyone reading it."

April squinted at the screen, frowning. "I didn't do that."

"Karai." He huffed out her name in irritation. Not for the first time, he wondered if Leo was masochistic or just insane.

"I'm sure it's fine..."

He held up a hand, stopping her. "If we're doing this, we do it by family rules. No hiding things."

Her shoulders slumped. "No hiding things." She agreed.

"Good." He started to spin back to the computer to resume his task, when she caught his chair and clicked the power button on the monitor.

"April!" His protest died in his throat as she climbed into the chair and straddled his lap. "I'll talk to her about it tomorrow and she WILL tell me. For now, you're taking a break."

His arms wrapped around her as she leaned in to him. He could get on board with that.


	31. Chapter 30

Splinter, on catching sight of his daughter clad in nothing at all, immediately turned around when the door to their bathroom flew open. The Phoenix, appropriate to her pragmatic ways, didn't even bat an eyelid. "What was that on the TV?" she demanded.

Karai, for her part, made no effort to cover herself, but Leo stood directly in front of her, hoping his shell covered the most important bits. With his cheeks bright red, he said, "Karai and I were discussing that."

"No you weren't," his mother answered flatly. "Karai was attempting to distract you from discussing it." She grabbed the towel off of the door, and with a tiny smile, said, "Cover up, your father is about to die here."

A little squeak came through the door before Yuuta appeared, body dance in full force.

"And the baby needs to use the toilet."

Leo grabbed the towel and began trying to drape it over Karai, who glared at him, snatched it, and wrapped herself up. Yuuta made it to the toilet, relief on his little ratty face as the tinkling of his bladder indicated that he did, indeed, need to use the toilet. Phoenix thumped Splinter's backside. "You can turn around now."

The ninja rat-master did so, his face stern, staring at his daughter. "And you can tell us what is going now."

Splinter glared at his daughter, his arms folded over his chest, the folds of the yukata sharp pressed to match his visage.

"It's a project April and I are working on," Karai said, waving her hand to indicate it was nothing. "We want a campaign to fight against what the AFH is doing. We are in the perfect position to do it." She looked her father in the eye. "So we did it."

"You have put yourself in grave danger," Splinter's deep voice was disapproving. "With what has been happening lately, you have made an already precarious situation worse."

"That's what I told her!" Leo nodded, looking very much like a bobblehead.

"I think it is a great idea," Phoenix said. Turning to Karai, she added, "You sounded very professional."

"Thank you," Karai smiled.

Splinter turned his glare from his daughter to his wife. "Karai has painted a target on her back," he said.

"That's what I said!" Leo interjected.

Ignoring him, his father continued. "We already know that Zoe is being hunted, now she and possibly April will be hunted too. Along with the rest of us." He turned to Karai. "Including the children."

Karai squirmed under his gaze.

"We've always been hunted, Splinter," The Phoenix's voice was no longer placating, but beginning to match his. "Just because we live in an apartment and we own a dojo and we make money doesn't mean we aren't hunted." Her words began to shake and her face began turning red, save for the burn marks on her temples. "Many of the hurts I heal on mutants aren't put there by accident, and they aren't put there by other mutants. My having a rap sheet for 'loitering' five miles long isn't an accident, and you know it."

"What do you mean?" Leo's brow rides came together, "You getting arrested isn't an accident, what does that mean? What other secrets are you two keeping?"

Both of his parents looked at him with confused expressions, while Karai remained silent.

"Secrets?" Splinter asked.

"When was the last time you knew of someone getting arrested for loitering, Leo?" his mother asked. "And since when do police roam dark alleys looking for loiterers?" She turned to Splinter. Yuuta flushed the toilet and came to her, without washing his hands, and pulled to be picked up. She obliged thoughtlessly. "I already have a target on my back, and I'm helping people for god's sake. I'm surprised no one's come to off you! Someone has to do something."

"You were just asking why the children had to be the ones to be the first mutants to go to school, and now you applaud what Karai has done?" Splinter bent down slightly, bringing his muzzle closer to Phoenix's face.

"Those were the kids, not us!" she exclaimed. She repositioned their son on her hip. "We've always been in danger, all of us. The only difference now is that everyone knows we exist and where to find us."

Splinter's hair bristled. "I cannot keep this family safe, if its members keep putting us, purposefully in danger," he turned again to Karai.

"That's what I said!" Leo threw his hands into the air.

Yuuta let out a small squeak that sounded very much like 'Mama', and put his head on her shoulder. Sticking his thumb in his mouth, he blinked slowly.

"Yuuta agrees with me," Karai finally spoke, gesturing to the rat pup. "Just like a baby brother is supposed to."

"Do not draw him into this," Splinter said.

"You already drew him into this," Phoenix countered, "by bringing up children in the first place."

Yuuta squeaked.

"Silence," Splinter hissed at him.

"Don't speak to him like that," Phoenix turned, so she was between Splinter and his son, "he didn't do anything!"

"I don't think he meant anything by it," Leo said quickly.

It was Phoenix's turn to hiss, "Don't you put up for him just because he's _Sensei_." She said the last word with wide eyes and a heavy dose of theatrics. "He's wrong."

"He's not wrong," Leo put his hands on his hips, leaning toward his mother. "Yuuta shouldn't be speaking back to him period."

"Speaking back to him?" Phoenix's face was bright red. "He can't speak, Leo, or haven't you noticed that?!"

At the same time, Splinter moved so that he was closer to both her and the boy, saying to Leo, "I do not need you to defend me in arguments with your mother."

"We're not arguing!" Phoenix all but yelled. "We're having a rational discussion!"

"It doesn't matter!" Karai broke through. "It's already done. There is nothing to discuss. April and I have everything up and running, Donnie has hooked us up with everything we need. There isn't any use arguing about it anymore."

"Donatello knows about this, as well?" Splinter asked.

Karai sighed. "Yes." She began to physically shove passed her parents. "I'm going to bed."

As she passed Splinter, the rat left as if to follow her, but started the other direction down the hallway. "Where are you going?" Phoenix asked.

"To the dojo," his voice was deadly. She, Leo, and Yuuta watched him open the door, and then slam it behind him.

Phoenix cradled Yuuta's head, her other hand clutching at his body, pressing it to hers, her eyes blinking rapidly.

"I'm going to the dojo, too," Leo said, his voice much calmer than his father's had been. "Good night, Karai," he called through their closed bedroom door.

"Good night!" she called.

Leo turned to his mother, still standing in the bathroom door with the little boy gripping her tight. Her face was no longer beet red, but her cheeks still sported bright pink, and her eyes shined a little too much. "Night, mother," he said, bowing slightly.

She sighed, "Good night, Leo." Her voice shook.

Leo chose to ignore it as he followed his father out the door.

Phoenix managed to keep her tears at bay until she was in snuggled in bed, Yuuta still clutched tightly to her.

TSOTCTSOTC

Tangled in a mix of bed-sheets and Mikey's arms and legs, Denim didn't want to move. The room, their first official room, in their place together, was steadily growing lighter by the minute. She enjoyed the soft golden glow, the way the light spread over their modest furniture, the half un-packed boxes of clothes, and the green of the enormous arm draped over her. His beautifully sculpted green... Was that chocolate on his forearm?

Butterflies fluttered throughout her upon recalling the stealthy, yet delicious chocolate path they'd taken from kitchen, past sleeping toddler, to their room the night before. She drew her bottom lip into her mouth, trapping it between her teeth. With a slight turn of her head she kissed Mikey's chocolate laced cheek, summoning a grin from him.

"Good morning," he murmured, pulling her closer, nuzzling her neck.

Before she could utter a reply the bedroom door flew open revealing Alli, scowling, with her hands on her little hips. "I slept the whole night on the couch. Mommy, you left me there!" She was growling as she stomped up to them, using the sheets to hoist herself onto the bed.

Denim casually pulled the sheet up higher, hoping her daughter didn't notice she was nude beneath it. Where was her nightshirt? "I'm sorry, honey, you were sleeping so good. We didn't-"

"Mommy?" Alli's tiny brow furrowed. "Why you gots chocolate all over your face?" Her blue eyes darted from Denim to Mikey, who was grinning like a fool beside her.

Internally Denim cringed. She loved letting herself go with Michelangelo, and he made it easy to do. That fact had gotten them into scrapes more than once. Still how did one explain to a toddler that her mother and father had basically painted each other in chocolate, and savored every second of licking it off...

"Mommy? Mommy!" Alli waved her little hand before Denim's face while Michelangelo suppressed a chuckle. "Your nots supposta eat in the bed. Shame on you. You better clean this mess up." Alli stood on the bed, shifting her attention to Mikey. "And Daddy is on your face too." She pointed a finger at them. "I followed the trail... It led me right to you."

Denim blinked. "Excuse me? What trail?"

Alli's pointer finger rotated toward the bedroom door. "The handprints and lines all down the hall. It's a big mess. I didn't know who did it. I was coming to tell you. But I know now, it was you. It's all over you faces." She crossed her arms and plopped down on her butt. "Why's it okay for you to make a mess but not me?" Her bottom lip jutted out. "I want to paint the walls with chocolate too."

"You totally shou-"

"Mikey," Denim cut him off, closing her eyes and shaking her head. How was she going to get out of this? He certainly wasn't going to help. With a deep breath she cleared her head and focused on her daughter. "Alli, the baby was hungry for chocolate. Mommy was going to make brownies but I just couldn't wait for them to bake, so I ate the batter. Mikey caught me, wanted some and so we shared it."

"That's totes true, Alli-bird." Mikey chirped.

Alli's little nose wrinkled. "But how did it get on the wall?"

Enter mommy's censored version.

Denim sighed. "It must've been on my fingers when I walked down the hall."

"Then why's it Daddy's handprints too?" Alli's gaze shifted to Mikey, who opened his mouth then closed it again when Denim cleared her throat.

"He was being silly," Denim said in her best matter-of-fact tone.

Alli stared at Mikey, who had a grin on his face so big Denim thought he might burst. But he managed to keep his mouth shut long enough for Alli to ask her next question.

Her mouth scrunched one way then the next, her eyes drifting back and forth between her parents. Then she looked around them. "Mommy, what'd you do with the baby?"

Denim sat up a bit, tugging the sheets along with her. "What?"

Alli's head tipped to the side, yesterday's crooked pigtails sweeping her shoulder. "Well you said the baby was hungry and wanted chocolate." She shrugged. "There's you and Daddy, but I don't see the baby. Is it at Grandmere's?" Her eyes widened. "Oh, is it a boy baby or a girl baby? Remember, I wanted you to pick a girl baby."

Denim inhaled, closed her eyes and punched the bridge of her nose. Mikey snickered beside her and Alli huffed. "Don't tell me you picked a boy baby, fed it chocolate and took it to Grandmere's!"

Before either she or Mikey could respond Alli burst into tears. "You love the baby more than me! I knew you would!"

Denim groaned, slumped back into her pillow and pulled the sheets up over her head. "It's too early, I just can't."

Mikey gathered a wailing Alli into his arms, smearing chocolate on her as he did so. "Aww no, Alli-bird, we love you and the baby."

Alli hiccupped as she sucked in air between sobs. "But...but..."

"And the baby is right here." Mikey patted Denim's abdomen affectionately.

Alli stopped crying and her eyes widened. "Mommy ate the baby?"

Denim groaned and Mikey waved his hands defensively in front of him as he backpedalled his words. "No, no, no, no. Your mom's tum tum is up here and the baby is growing down here." He pointed at Denim like she were a diagram. "And when the babies done it'll come out."

If possible Alli's eyes got wider. "Is mommy gonna be ok?"

Mikey hesitated a second before immediately answering with an assurance as was his inclination. "Well, you grew in and came out of your mom the same way a long time ago."

Alli gaped at Denim in disbelief.

Mikey laughed. "You were smaller then, like in your baby pics."

Alli squirmed out of Mikey's arms and crawled over, examining Denim's belly curiously. She looked back at Mikey. "How'd the baby eat chocolate?"

Mikey thought a moment. "Uh...well, the baby wants chocolate and makes your mom want chocolate, so she eats it and it goes through her to the baby...I think. Your Uncle Don doesn't always make sense when he's 'splainen stuff."

"So you're not mad about my shirt?" Alli looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"Your shirt?" He asked in puzzlement.

Denim winced and pulled a pillow across her face. "I meant to tell you yesterday." Her voice came out muffled by the pillow.

"On the playground, the mean boy ripped it." Alli looked down at her hands.

"He what? Are you ok?" Mikey grabbed Alli up, turning her about to examine her for damage.

Held aloft and upside down, Alli giggled. "Yup. Anton punched him."

Mikey righted her and pulled her into a hug. "Good."

Denim yanked the pillow off her face. "Not good. They're in trouble now."

Mikey frowned. "But it's all the mean kid's fault."

She just stared at him like he was crazy.

His mouth formed an 'oh' of surprise as a realization occurred to him. "Is that why the school called about armination?"

Denim blinked at him uncomprehendingly for a moment as her mind sifted through the possible words he might have actually meant to translate. Fortunately, she had some contextual clues. "Arbitration?"

"Yeah, like I said. I wrote it on the fridge." Before she could ask, he clarified. "On the dry erase board. No worries. Crognard's guarding it."

She just shook her head. "When?"

Mikey rummaged through his memory. "Next Thursday at 7. Can you get off work?"

To his surprise, Denim laughed bitterly. "Work will not be a problem."

Catching his expression of worried confusion, she elaborated. "They put me on part time."

"Mikey smiled. "Hey that's great! You can get more rest now."

Denim stared at him like he'd grown an extra head. "I lost my benefits. No health insurance."

He looked confused. "Health insurance?"

She blinked in disbelief. "The stuff that pays for it when you need to go to the doctor."

She seemed struck by a sudden realization. "Have you ever been to a doctor?"

He grinned. "Sure. Mom's been taking care of us forever with her super awesome doctor powers. Before that dad and Donnie always patched us up. No one ever said anything about money though."

"Of course." Denim shook her head, fighting a smile that fell with her next breath. "I'm still making way less money. Don't know how we'll cover rent now."

Mikey patted her shoulder reassuringly. "No worries. Woody can hook me up with more shifts. It'll all be good."

Denim sighed but didn't try to resist his boundless optimism.

Alli tugged on Mikey's arm and he redirected his attention to her. "So you still love me even though my shirt is broke?"

He snuggled her into him. "Course I do. I didn't buy it cuz I liked it, though it was totes awesome, I got it cuz it made you smile. That's the most important part."

Alli pulled back to look up at him, sniffling. "Really?"

He grinned. "Absotively posilutely. But I think your mom needs some more z's and it sounds like I've got a mess to clean up. When you make a mess, you gotta clean it up. Your Uncle Leo taught me that." He paused thoughtfully. "A lot. Like over and over again forever. Anyway, I could use a helper. How about it?"

She nodded and clapped with more enthusiasm than a kid facing a big chore had a right to, but Mikey's cheer was infectious.

"Great! Let's do this."

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe pointed to the ripple in the bedsheet on Raph's side of the bed, then flattened her hand, making a smoothing gesture.

"What the heck's," Raph imitated her, "this mean?"

"It means smooth out the lump on your side." She rolled her eyes. "You know some days we speak the same language, others not so much."

He tugged on the fabric, eliminating the offending wrinkle. "Yeah, well some days you don't talk at all."

"Yeah, well a lot of days you grumble your answers to all my questions." She reached for the throw pillows, fluffing hers, while he grabbed one and punched the center of it. She let out a very Karai-like snicker. "Is that supposed to fluff it up?"

His fist sank into the pillow as he scowled at her, then he slung it in place next to hers. "Whatever, Z." Just as his weight shifted toward the bedroom door she put her hands on her hips.

"Whatever nothing. Half the time I don't know the answer to my questions because you've got your shell to me, grousing your answers."

His eyes widened, the corner of one eye twitching just a bit as he lifted his chin. "Is that so?"

Her insides fluttered, as she struggled to keep the smirk from her face. One eyebrow shot up as she crossed her arms. "Yeah it is. You mumble then get mad when I've guessed the wrong answer to whatever it is I asked you." She waved a dismissive hand at him, flicking her fingers as if to brush him off. "Then you get all mad about it. And you get all pissy if I ask you to repeat yourself, so there's no winning."

"Yeah, well I ask you questions and you don't answer me at all." Raph leaned over the bed toward her.

Zoe lifted her shoulders, meeting his gaze. "Yeah, well that's because you talk to me while I'm brushing my teeth, or chewing food, or-"

"Ya know what?" His brow lifted as his hands fell to the comforter, his head drifting closer to her face. Zoe glared at him as he wiggled his fingers over the blanket.

Her jaw shifted. "Don't you dare, Raphael."

He flicked his brows up and down, a gleam in his eye as he gathered fistfuls of the comforter, forming a huge messy pile.

She watched him, unmoving while he completely unmade the bed, never taking his eyes off her as he did.

Anton shuffled into the room behind Zoe with Franklin tucked under his arm. "What're you doin', Dad?"

Raph's fingers froze right as he reached to start on the sheets. His eyes darted to his son.

Zoe grinned. "Yes, _Daddy_ , what are you doing?"

Raph's jaw shifted as he shot her an irritated look.

"Yer not fightin' are you?" Anton shuffled alongside his mom.

If this entire scenario had unfolded between Raph and anyone else it could've been a real argument. There might even be some true irritation beneath it, but for them it was one of the ways they worked out their stress, ending up tangled in the very sheets he wanted to ball up and throw at her.

Raph sniffed, stood up and began picking through his mess. "Nah, we ain't fightin. I was just helpin' yer mom make the bed." He motioned to Anton with his head. "Go get dressed. Yer stayin with Grandmere every day until we go to school for the meetin."

Anton turned for the door, complaining under his breath.

Zoe looked Raph in the eye as she called after her son. "I'm sorry, Antonello, what was that? I can't understand you."

"I didn't say nothin!" Anton grumped, slamming his bedroom door.

Raph shook his head. "Don't even say it."

Zoe knelt on the bed, bringing her face so close to his the scent of leather and cedar wood oil filled her head. The air between them static as she brought her lips to hover over his. "Like father like son."

He grabbed her sides, pulling her against him as she let her head tip to the side revealing her neck to him. He nibbled at the vulnerable space, then whispered in her ear. "I told you not to say it."


	32. Chapter 31

Karai couldn't call hours upon hours of tossing and turning sleep. Her brain wouldn't shut off, Leo's side of the bed was cold, and her father was mad at her, all of which she hated.

Morning light cast a shadow where Leo would usually be. She'd often wondered if those soft golden rays were enough to trigger his internal alarm clock. He was almost always up before her.

Her stomach hurt as she rolled to her side, staring at the empty space. Mad at her or not, she wanted him there.

If it were a physical fight, a battle, Leo wouldn't back down from it. Not unless the odds were against them and he couldn't see a way out. Even then he'd probably give it everything he had before sounding the retreat. So why was this, protecting the rights they deserved, any different?

And what, her father agreed with him? She snorted. Could they be more alike?

The whole Zoe being hunted excuse was bullshit. Everyone knew the enemy was out there. Her sister was viewed by the EDF as their possession, not a person. That fact and the dollar signs they saw when it came to her is why they never gave up searching for her. But they'd managed to fend them off before. How much did this campaign really change that game?

As far as she could tell it didn't, because Zoe wasn't the one who would be speaking out. So what was the big deal?

Her phone vibrated, indicating an incoming message. Maybe Leo had calmed down and was ready to apologize. She didn't hold out too much hope at that idea, he could be every bit as stubborn as she was. She reached for the device, swiping her finger across the lock screen which held a picture of them together.

It really irked her when they fought for real. With her stomach churning she scrolled to her messages.

Unknown: You think you can just delete me? Bitch I've got tech more brilliant than your college reject mutant. You can't make me go away. I'm already so close I can smell your stink. One day, soon, I'm going to run my fingers over your filthy scales and you'll know your place. -JJE

Karai stared at her phone. This wasn't a comment on her video. This was sent directly to her phone. To her private, family only number. She sat up, threw back her covers and marched to her window ripping the curtains back.

 _Close are you? A stalker? Some creepy asshole who knows about my brother?_ She flipped the window latches, tugged it open and stuck her head out. "You can smell my stench, huh?"

She glared at the rooftop adjacent, scanning the building across from her but finding nothing standing out. She flipped the middle finger of her right hand into the air. "Fuck you, you coward come out and fight me!"

Her phone vibrated in her fist.

Unknown: Now what are the people going to think of you when they see you behaving like this? You prove us right, mutant bitch. Oh yes, I know all about you now. I'll show the world who you really are, and you're going to help me do it.

Karai's teeth ground together as her pulse quickened. Seconds later her phone vibrated again and she seriously considered chucking it out the window.

Unknown: Video message attached.

"Son of a bitch," Karai groaned, her finger shaking a bit as she hit download.

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey hummed to himself as he trotted to the kitchen with Alli trailing at his heels, like a baby duckling. Four boxes later, he'd managed to unearth the dish soap, a plastic mop bucket and a couple of sponges. Filling the bucket with soapy water, he decided to start in the kitchen and work his way back towards the bedroom to give Denim as much time to herself as possible.

Handing the smaller sponge to Alli with a wink, he dunked his in the bucket and started scrubbing away the choc-splosion on the counter. It took a couple of moments for him to notice that Alli was just staring at her sponge frowning.

"You ok, Alli-bird?"

She looked up at him, expression serious. "How did the baby get inside mommy?"

He froze, the sponge, dropping from his hand. "Uh…"

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim rolled out of the bed feeling a little like she had the first couple weeks of her pregnancy. Maybe eating raw batter wasn't such a great idea.

Holding one hand over her belly she searched through half-unpacked boxes for her motion sickness wristbands. After the third one revealed yet more comic books she decided two things, one, Mikey was going to need a bookshelf, and two, she should check the bathroom.

Noticing traces of chocolate on her arms and legs she made her way to a box she knew to be full of clothes. "Might need a shower anyway."

As she pulled a maxi dress from the top of the box, the size tag curled around her finger. She pulled it flat, remembering how uncomfortable she'd been lately and figured she was probably up from her usual size small. The letter XS stared her in the face and she crumpled the dress up, shoving it to the bottom of the box.

"Gah," she groaned, "I hate not knowing where anything is." She slapped her hands against her sides and her stomach dipped. "Mmpfh." She lift her fingers to her lips, yanked the chocolate smeared bedsheet off the bed with her free hand, and wrapped it around herself before making a beeline for the master bathroom.

Clenching the counter, she took a deep breath, then splashed cold water on her face and neck. As she reached down to turn off the faucet the handle snapped off, sending a spray of water all over her as she scrambled to cover it with her hand.

"Shit! Shit!" She knelt down, yanked on the cabinet handle and the door fell off into her lap. Tears sprang to her eyes as she reached under the sink to turn the knob that shut the water off. It creaked and she pulled her hand back, afraid it too would break. Why was everything she touched falling apart?

Water was filling the sink, still shooting in a fountain that coated the mirror and sloshed over the counter, trickling to the floor. If she broke the shut-off valve how would they cut off the water? She had to call Mikey. She just hoped he didn't ask questions, because she didn't have any answers. Whatever was going on with her it would have to wait, she had to get her act together, find something to wear, and get to work.

With tears slipping away from her she sat back on the floor, defeated. "Mikey," she called feebly, then a sob broke free. "Mikey!"

Seconds later the door burst open, Mikey leaping into the room, wild-eyed and ready to strike. After a cursory search for the imaginary assassins invading their home, he dropped to her side. "You ok, Blue Jeans? Should I call mom up to help?"

Hell no! There was no way she wanted to face Mikey's mom adorned only in a sheet while covered in smears of chocolate. Absolutely not. There were some details that parents didn't need to know about their children.

Raising a trembling hand, she pointed up towards the counter. "I broke the sink."

He spun to see the sink, filling faster than it could drain and now dangerously close to overflowing. "No worries. I got this."

The first thing he did was speed dial Donnie and put him on speaker phone as he tried to block the water spurting from the broken handle with the nearest towel from a partially unpacked box on the floor.

"What did you break now?" Donnie's voice greeted them, heavy with resignation.

"The bathroom sink. You gotta help, D. Before it floods the apartment and then the rest of the building. Remember, mom and dad live here too."

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall, managing a small smile, despite the waves of nausea. It was so Mikey to take the blame on her behalf.

Mikey and Donnie's voices became white noise in the background as she concentrated on each breath, in and out. She wasn't sure it was actually helping, but it gave her the illusion of control.

Sensing a presence beside her, her eyes flickered open, to see a very serious Alli looking down at her. "What's wrong, honey?"

"I want to go to the magic elf realm."

Denim stared, her mind blanking. "What?"

Alli pouted. "I know kids can't go, but since you and daddy went there to plant the baby flower, you can get back and take me. I wanna see the cotton candy forests and bounce on the pizza roads. I want to!" She emphasized her point with a little foot stomp.

The pieces slowly clicked into place and Denim leaned her head back again with a groan. Mikey.

"Okay, the water to the sink is turned off, so no more flooding. But we also can't use the sink for a bit. D says he'll fix it when he swings by for your shot." Despite being responsible for the predicament, Mikey's timely announcement saved her from having to respond to Alli's demands.

"That's good. I need to get cleaned up and find my pressure bands." At her words, Mikey stopped examining the broken corner of the marble sink counter and crouched beside her.

Stroking a strand of hair back from her face, he tugged it free from a chocolate smudge on her cheek. His eyes lit up as an idea suddenly struck him. "A bath would be perfect!"

"There's no time…" She started to protest, but he was already drawing the bath, testing the water to the right temperature and plugging the drain.

"Just relax and rest up. I'll get your barf bracelets and take Alli to mom's."

"Hey!" Alli protested loudly.

"Aww, not that face Alli-bird. It'll be great. You can spend the whole day with Grandmere, Yuuta and Anton. It'll be like summer vacation."

Her eyes lit up. "Really?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Promise. Come on, we've got some boxes to sort through."

She started to protest again, but they were already gone. Feeling too tired to move despite have just woken up, she wondered if Mikey might be right. A bath might be worth running a little late for.

TSOTCTSOTC

Karai stood in the scalding shower, scrubbing furiously as the water beat down on her. Waking up alone and covered in the previous night's unrinsed soap residue after a huge fight with Leo and her dad were enough to start her day in a foul mood. Adding in that video and she couldn't seem to get clean again.

Out of context it would have made her smile, a montage of little moments in her life. Taking a walk with Yuuta and swearing profusely at a car that would have flattened them running a red light if not for her quick reflexes before cursing again because she realized she'd been using inappropriate language in front of her little brother. Walking in the park with a paranoid Leo just after they'd moved topside and watching him nearly jump out of his shell after tweaking his tail. Sitting at a table at La Vida Loca with Aries on break, sharing lewd jokes. Scene after scene of small glimpses of her life, featuring her with all the members of her family, near home and at work.

While they didn't show her in the best light as a political spokesperson, they did accurately capture who she was and nothing in the video shamed her. What ate at her was the thought that these private memories, going back to first moving out of the sewers had been observed and recorded, without her knowledge, by some stranger of ill intent. It made her sick and it made her scared, which in turn infuriated her. _When_ , not _if_ , but _when_ she tracked down this asshole, she'd kill him. With the slow, agonizing venom. He'd regret picking this fight.

The shower started to run cold and, shouting an expletive, she turned the water off. Tempting as it was to go to Donnie, to electronically trace the origin of the messages, she knew she couldn't. He'd tell Leo and Leo would absolutely freak. For the same reason, she couldn't tell April, because this was over the line and April wouldn't keep it secret. If their work was to continue unhindered, she'd need to handle this herself.

This afternoon, she'd go to the vantage point from where the most recent video was filmed, a mere few weeks ago, showing their family gathering for dinner at Murikami's. With enhanced serpentine senses, she could detect a whole spectrum of details that would have been lost to her as a human. She'd hunt the bastard down and make him sorry for targeting her family.

Toweling off and slipping into a robe, she grabbed her phone off the bathroom counter and tucked it into one of the robe's pockets. She stepped out of the bathroom, minding the still-broken door, and made her way towards the kitchen. With the room-darkening drapes pulled back, she could make out a silhouette on the balcony through the sheer curtains.

Stalking forward, she slipped quietly up to the sliding, glass door, ready to strike. To her surprise and relief, from this distance, she could tell that the shadow was a distinctly familiar turtle shape, slouching against the railing.

Straightening up and smoothing away the any trace of worry from her visage, she slid the door open and stepped out.

Leo looked up at her with tired, bloodshot eyes as she joined him on the balcony.

She approached, leaning against the railing beside him. "Thought you'd be at the dojo?"

If possible, his shoulders slumped even further. "Sensei sent me home."

She loved her father, she really did, and, if anything, that video message proved that he wasn't completely wrong, even if she was going to handle it before it became a problem. But sometimes he drove her nuts, to the point where she wanted to scream. Maybe that was normal. She had no way of knowing.

She'd wait until mother made him tractable again and then she'd try and fixing things. Attempting to speak to her father now would just result in an even worse fight. Only mother seemed to have the capacity to influence him when he was in a mood, so the matter was out of her hands.

Reaching out, she traced a line along Leo's shoulder and down his arm. "Have you been out here all night?"

He shrugged. "I wasn't sure I could sleep."

Frustrated, her hand curled into a fist. "It's going to be fine and even if it wasn't, I don't see how sleep deprivation would work as an effective tactic."

He glanced over at her. "It's dangerous."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course it is. Everything we do is dangerous. Our family is constantly putting itself in danger for the greater good. It's what we do." She intertwined her fingers with his. "I learned that from you."

He barked out a bitter laugh. "This is different."

She raised an eyebrow. "Because we're operating publicly, instead of in the shadows and you're not comfortable with that mode of attack?"

He shook his head, as though to clear it from her arguments entangling with his own. "We don't know our enemy or when and where that enemy will strike from."

She leaned her head against his shoulder, trying not to laugh, which would be wholly inappropriate for the moment. Not that appropriate had ever been her thing. "You fought a shadow war between ninja clans. That's exactly how we've always fought and you managed to do fine. More or less."

He looked at her, the ghost of a smile crossing his face. "More or less?"

She chuckled. "You did have a few spectacular failures against a rather skilled enemy kunoichi."

His laugh, more light-hearted now, joined with hers. "I concede the point." The momentary happiness at what should have been some embarrassing memories faded back into worry-laden seriousness. "But…"

Knowing full well that he hated it, she interrupted him. "Before you make a hypocrite of yourself by criticizing my recklessness, I should warn you that Raph can get damn chatty when he's had a few. My personal favorite being, when he had to save you from skydiving off of the exploding top of the TCRI building without a parachute."

His cheeks pinked and he groaned. "I was fifteen."

She smirked. "And recklessly running about saving the world."

He sighed and rested his cheek against her wet hair. "But it's you. I can't…"

"If you recall, this isn't the first insanely dangerous thing I've ever done and it probably won't be the last. I've always made it through, one way or another. I'm a survivor. At least I'm doing it for the right reason's this time." Although her vengeance-driven attempt to kill the Shredder had very nearly been the end of her.

She could feel his jaw clench. "But now isn't the best time…"

Pulling away from him, she made sure to look him in the eyes. "There is never a good time. But we had to move now. The AFH campaign is effective and it's working. I know that you try not to notice for the sake of your sanity, but I keep track of everything. Since they started running, every time we go out, there are twice as many people reacting aversely to us than before, some we even know who didn't used to care. Public opinion is turning in the wrong direction. Lawmakers are currently drafting bills to take back the rights we do have. If we don't act now, we lose."

He touched his forehead to hers. "But why does it have to be you?"

The corners of her mouth quirked up. "The same reason it's always been us. Because we can and we will. I'll be careful. You might have made some guesses, but you don't know the things I did to prove my worth as a child, and honestly, I'd rather it stay that way. Suffice to say, I wasn't raised as a princess of a crime-lord family like some of the Yakuza daughters were. If I made it through that, clinging to the hope of being loved, just think of how much harder to kill I am now that I actually have something to live for. No one is taking this from me. Not now. Not ever."

He enfolded her in an embrace, whispering her name. "Karai…" His hand cupped the back of her head, tilting her face upwards to meet his mouth.

As their lips connected, a familiar fire shot through her body, heating her in all the right places. And then her phone rang.

Breaking off the kiss, she angrily yanked the phone out of her robe pocket. "This had better be important."

April's voice sounded over her phone speaker. "We need to talk about the campaign." There was a warning in her tone that suggested this wasn't a planning meeting. "Lunch at one. That little café by the dojo." Not giving April a chance to respond, she ended the call.

Leo sighed and she could feel him readying himself to slog through another long, tiring day.

Making an executive decision, she pulled free of his arms and led him back into the apartment by the hand. Making a quick detour to the kitchen for one of the chairs, she dragged him towards their room, closing the door and jamming the chair against the door knob.

Leo looked at her questioningly.

"No interruptions this time." Sliding the robe off her shoulders and letting it drop to the ground, she enjoyed his sudden intake of breath at the sight of her. Now to see how many more gasps she could get out of him.

TSOTCTSOTC

"I'm taking Alli to Mom's!" Mikey called from the living room, not giving Denim a chance to respond before she heard the front door close.

Denim sunk deeper into the water, until her chin touched the surface. "Not even a goodbye kiss from either one of them." He must have something on his mind. He never forgets her kiss. Not usually.

Her eyes closed as she let the heat of the water relieve her aches. Some of her muscles hurt though she hadn't worked them. In fact she needed to talk to Zoe about yoga. While she didn't train with the family she'd used to keep her skills sharp with a weekly visit to the gym she studied kickboxing at. When was the last time she'd done that? She'd let her membership lapse shortly after she started dating Mikey, but the two had been through so much her techniques had been practiced in real life situations. Not so much anymore, especially now that she was pregnant.

She should hit up the gun range though. There was no reason not to. Of course that cost money, and she still had a second job to find. Reaching down she rubbed the back of her leg, smoothing out a particularly irritated calf muscle. The most exercise she'd seen since her little night out a few weeks ago had been the romp she and Mikey had indulged in. She stretched her legs, flexed her toes then drew her arms overhead letting her hands slide up the wall. Her back ached and her biceps were tender too. She sighed. "I'm falling apart."

Slipping her limbs beneath the water again she studied her body. The best anyone could tell she was just nine or ten weeks along but her abdomen was expanding quickly. Running her hand over the swell of her belly she sat up a bit. Was she bigger than yesterday? Moving her wrist to her hip she lay her hand over her pooch then placed her other in the same spot on her other hip. There was a full hands length between the ends of her fingertips.

"Hey there, don't go getting huge this early on. I mean I'm glad you're doing well and all, but we're pretty early on here… I think-"

Would her pregnancy gestate the same as a human one?

"Anyway, you have to exit eventually and we've got months to go, at this rate you'll be twenty pounds and Momma just can't handle that."

At least the baby was probably doing well if he or she was growing that fast. Right?

The back of her eyes ached, an electric jolt beginning there then branching out over the left side of her head. "No," she groaned, rubbing her face. "I don't have time for a migraine today."

She didn't. In fact she didn't have time to be fantasizing about her baby either. She had a job to get to and another to find. Leaning over the side of the tub she rooted through the box of toiletries on the floor, trying not to look at the cabinet door she'd broken, or the faucet, or the corner of the bathroom counter… she refused to linger on the image of the zipper to her weapons bag splitting apart… or the spoon that snapped like a twig while she was stirring batter.

Pain needled through the side of her head then the vision in her left eye began to blur. "Shit." She hadn't had a migraine since they learned of her pregnancy, so she hadn't asked Donnie or Phoenix what she could take for it. But maybe if she got to moving around and drank some water- Her stomach growled. Maybe if she ate breakfast she'd feel better.

Lathering up and rinsing off she climbed from the tub, wrapping herself in a towel as she searched through boxes in search of something she hadn't used in nearly four and a half years. As she checked their closet she found it, a large pink plastic tote marked 'baby Alli'.

Her insides fluttered as she opened the tub, finding Alli's best newborn outfits packed on top. Her lip trembled as she ran her fingers over the tiny bluebird pattern set she'd brought her home from the hospital in. Images of a newborn Alli, just seconds old and draped across her chest as they were both wrapped in warm blankets, rushed to the forefront of her mind. Her eyes had been so bright and clear, her tiny face bright red and wrinkly, her hair so dark Denim had thought it brown. She was perfect.

But what of this baby? Would it be able to see and hear? Would it be able to speak? Yuuta couldn't and Phoenix had been through so much to have him. What if something was wrong with their baby?

Denim's blood grew jittery as if she'd drank a pot of coffee, her nausea that had settled with her bath, returning. She couldn't think like that. Not now. There was no going back, only forward. She breathed in and out through her mouth as she placed the outfit back in the tub, pulling all the clothes against the inside of it until she reached the bottom.

"Well I can't say I ever thought I'd need any of this stuff ever again." She tugged out her maternity clothes, two pairs of jeans, bras, panties, four shirts and five dresses all of which Connie had bought for her when she was pregnant with Alli.

While wanting nothing more than to crawl back in bed and sleep off her migraine along with her worries, she had work to do. Laying everything out in a pile she grabbed her favorite maternity dress, a navy blue off-the-shoulder babydoll with a built in shelf bra. It was the most comfortable dress in her tiny maternity wardrobe. Dressing quickly she tugged on a pair of ballet flats, ran her fingers through her unruly red locks, applied eyeliner and lip gloss and headed for the front door.

"Oh," she stopped with her hand on the doorknob. "I should leave Mikey a note." She made her way back to the kitchen, finding his Crognard figure guarding the dry erase board. Grabbing the marker dangling from his foot she wrote:

Gone to work. Might be home a little late, have an errand to run.

Even with her head pounding, the corners of her mouth quirked up at sight of the soap bucket and chocolate smears still adorning the kitchen. She couldn't help adding:

Last night was delicious. Hope to meet you in the kitchen for a repeat performance soon. Sorry I won't be here to help clean up the aftermath, I'll try to make it up to you. I'm sure you can think of something in the elf realm that doesn't involve streets of pizza, or cotton candy trees. XO- Denim

Now, let's just hope none of his brothers see this. She giggled then winced, rubbing the side of her head as she made her way to the service elevator Donnie had rigged for her.

As she walked she tried to clear her mind of everything, hoping it would ease the ache in her head. She didn't have time for a migraine, especially since they could last days and she only had three shifts of guaranteed work. Usually she'd take her prescription but there was too much at stake to take so much as a Tylenol without talking to Donnie first.

Good thing he'd fix the faucet while she was at work. Even though Mikey had taken the blame for her breaking it, Donnie seemed to be able to read her and Mikey both like open books, and what he missed April never failed to catch.

A heavenly familiar scent assaulted her senses and the pang that was radiating through her head dulled ever so slightly. Her eyes shot to the front door of the pizza parlor. _They serve breakfast? Pizza for breakfast, I thought only Mikey did that._ She walked through the front door spotting Woody behind the counter.

He looked up to greet his customer, his eyes lighting up at sight of her. "Denim, hey! You hungry? Come on over here." He waved her to the counter.

She stretched on her tiptoes to see over the case of ready-made slices and smiled at him. "I didn't know you served breakfast."

Woody laughed. "That's because we just started. It was Mikey's idea." He shrugged. "Who knew that people would want a slice of the pie any time of day?" He leaned forward. "And do you know his bizarre breakfast pizzas are a hit?"

The corner of Denim's left eye twitched a bit, a slight spasm she tried to rub out, but her smile was sincere. "Yeah, he likes to experiment in our kitchen." She glanced in the case. "I'd love a slice of his scrambled egg and peppers."

Woody nodded, reaching in to grab a slice. "Anything to drink?"

She followed him to the cash register. "No, thanks. Water will be fine."

As she reached in her purse for her wallet he waved a hand at her. "No way. It's on the house. We've only been doing this a week and I can tell it's a good move." His eyes darted to her middle then away as he handed her the pizza. "Say, you wouldn't know anyone looking for a job would you? I could really use a server for this morning shift. It's too much for me to man the counter and work the tables. I just didn't expect it to go over this well."

Would Mikey care if she worked at the same place he did? Would it cause problems for them? Of course he'd be cooking or delivering orders and they'd be busy… She was professional enough it shouldn't be an issue, and the opportunity was perfectly timed.

"I could do it," she rubbed her eye again, blinking and trying to use her right to focus. "But uh, I need something kind of flexible, at least for the next couple of months. That is if you don't mind a pregnant server."

Woody grinned. "You know, he hasn't said anything but I kind of suspected," he motioned toward her belly, "you looked a bit rounder."

Denim sighed and Woody put his hands up. "Oh, no, no, I mean you look amazing! I just- he started asking for extra shifts but he never said why, then there you are and it makes sense now." He winced. "I am not helping myself at all right now, am I?"

"Not really." Denim smiled despite his rambling, seeing very Mikey-like behavior coming from his boss. No wonder they got along so well.

"I'll be totally flexible." Woody promised. "If you can't make it in just send Mikey."

Denim let out a soft laugh. "Won't he be in the kitchen or delivering pies?"

Woody waved a hand toward the kitchen. "Meh, he's Mikey. He'd probably pull it off like he was taking out the garbage." He looked her in the eye. "Seriously, when can you start?"

"I work today, Saturday and Sunday from nine to two. Then I'm totally open the rest of the week, afternoons, and evenings." She thought he might be disappointed in her lack of weekend morning availability but he didn't flinch.

"Great. I've got school kids that cover the weekends. I really need the help during the week. See you Monday at 5:30AM. Pay rates $12.50 plus tips."

Relief washed over her as she thanked Woody for both the job and the pizza, opting to eat it on the go as she'd soon be late for a job that already hung in the balance. She'd be able to pay rent now for sure.


	33. Chapter 32

Zoe smoothed out the comforter without Raphael's help. He'd done more than enough _helping_ for the morning. She could hear him in the kitchen attempting to make Anton breakfast, which hopefully would just be a bowl of cereal because that was all he was capable of. Surely he knew his kitchen limitations.

"Ow! Shit!"

She closed her eyes at sound of his cursing. _Maybe not._

"Mom!" Anton bellowed from the living room. "Dad caught the kitchen on fire!"

 _What? Seriously?_ With cheetah speed she bolted past her son to find Raph about to dump a pan of water on a flaming skillet.

"No! Raphael, no!"

She rushed in front of him, leaping up to knock the pot up into the air sending its contents over Raphael's head.

"Zoe!" he shouted, growling as he wiped his eyes and flung water off his fingers.

"Mom, the stove!" Anton yelled.

Zoe reached under the kitchen sink for the box of baking soda flinging its contents across the stove. A mist of white powder drifted up in the air, settling in a coating over Raph's wet skin.

"Zoe." His voice came out deadly. "What the ever loving fu-"

She cleared her throat, glancing at their son then back to Raph, pressing her lips together as she fought off a smirk. The flames where effectively smothered but the kitchen was a mess. She checked the gauge finding he'd shut the power to the stove off. At least he'd done that much right.

"Um, Anton, you know I think you can eat at Grandmere's. Come on, I'll walk you over." Zoe inched by a glaring, powder covered Raphael. "Uh, I'm sorry, Big Guy, but uh-" she pointed to the smoking toaster behind him. "You may want to unplug that and throw the rest of the baking soda on it, before you clean up."

His eyes widened as he reached out, yanking the cord from the plug then lifting the toaster only to burn his hands on it. He snarled, baring his teeth as he looked for a place to throw the appliance.

"Just drop it in the sink." She placed one hand on each of Anton's shoulders, guiding him toward the front door. "Breakfast. At. Grandmere's."

Anton nodded, keeping his mouth shut as his eyes drifted over the smoking toaster, to his soda covered father, and the pile of white powder covering the stove. His brow lifted as he pressed his lips together, suppressing a snicker.

"Antonello," Zoe scolded, making haste for the front door, just barely containing herself long enough to close it behind them.

TSOTCTSOTC

April, being the punctual goody-goody that she was, had arrived to lunch early and awaited her. Karai dropped into the other seat at the tiny, outdoor table, part of a set that had been painstakingly crafted from metal to be both aesthetically pleasing and uncomfortable to the point of being nearly non-functional. "Why do I keep picking this place?"

April laughed. "It's convenient, the food is cheap and edible and I think you consider sitting in these a form of training."

She smirked. "An answer for everything."

April's smile dropped. "Not everything. Donnie found a deleted message on the video."

Karai sighed. Of course he did. He was Donnie. "Yeah. I got rid of it."

April leaned back in her seat expectantly, immediately regretting the shift in position if her expression was any indication.

Karai crossed her arms defensively. "After the news decided to cover our campaign launch last night, Leo lost his shit and father had an absolute fit. I can generally handle Leo, but not when I'm facing off against father. Seriously, even mother couldn't smooth it over."

April frowned. "Maybe we should have told everyone sooner, but things will blow over with Master Splinter. He's only unreasonable to a point. But I don't see what any of this has to do with your mystery message."

Karai rolled her eyes. "It was an ugly threat and I don't need to give the boys anything else to freak out over. They're already touchy enough about this whole endeavor."

April's expression softened in concern. "You're not worried about it."

She smirked. "Please. It's the internet. Cowardly dicks are doing that kind of shit all the time, emboldened by their anonymity. I don't back down from threats when they're made to my face. You think some pathetic loser, hiding behind a computer, is going to scare me?"

April didn't look entirely convinced, but had no good response as her argument had been solid. "I'm not sure we should take anything lightly…"

Karai held up a hand to stop her. "Leave the haters to me. I can handle them. You just focus on managing the campaign roll out. We've got a lot of support to drum out if we're going to be ready by the time the legislature is voting on those bills."

April nodded uncertainly and Karai new she'd won a brief reprieve. April wouldn't let it drop because she was April and couldn't leave anything be. But they had a lot to do that needed to be done now, which would give Karai the time she needed to fix this before April had a chance to really dig into it. That's all she needed.

TSOTCTSOTC

Thanks for coming over, Teddy Bear," Phoenix leaned up and kissed her son on the muzzle. "I really appreciate it."

"They all asleep?" he asked softly. He looked about the apartment, it seemed as if the place had been hit by a natural disaster. He wasn't entirely sure if this was the normal state of affairs when all three of the Hamato children were present in the apartment, or if it was special to this particular day.

She nodded. "They're napping. Yuuta had a late night." They all had. She had slept fitfully, and therefore, so had the little bundle of rat in her arms. She heard Karai get up more than once, shout obscenities to no one in particular, then heard the tell tale signs of making up from her and Leo's bedroom. She hadn't heard Leo come in, perhaps Karai had been swearing at him through the window, though she doubted it. Though they fight, it wasn't like that. Perhaps the girl was just getting her anger out on someone who happened to walk by below and bump someone else. "The other two were worn out." As well they should have been, with a sleep deprived Yuuta acting like a wild thing, the other two had happily followed suit. Phoenix's arms were aching from removing children from objects they should not have been messing with-which were few and far between in the apartment.

Her patience was wearing thin, especially since the day was half over when Karai and Leo finally emerged from their bed room. _At least they were quiet,_ she tried to console herself. It didn't help. The two of them had gone off to lunch, but she'd seen them kiss and go in separate directions from the balcony, so each at a different appointment. But they'd made up before hand, kissed tenderly, in public, before parting ways.

Splinter never kissed her in public. She knew that was his way, it didn't mean he didn't love her, but it hurt when she saw others showing PDA. Her children's display of affection brought tears to her eyes, but her pity party was interrupted by a squeal from Alli that indicated the children had been unattended for too long.

Then, Donnie had stopped by, asking if she'd seen Denim. A quick denial, along with Anton removed from the kitchen counter, had sent Donnie back out of the door. Not a word about his father, about the training she knew he'd already had with him that day, just a quick dismissal of 'mother', just as Karai and Leo had dismissed her the night before, the same way Splinter had walked away from her.

"Stop it, Yuuta," she snapped, as the rat pup jumped off of the back of the couch and leapt to the railing of the door, his tail tagging Donnie on the way out.

As soon as the door was closed, she'd called her eldest son, who she knew didn't have work, because he didn't have a 9-5 job, to come over and relieve her.

"You OK?" he asked in his grizzly voice.

She nodded, "I'm fine," she lied. She was far from fine. She hated it when she was like this. She was angry, and hurt, and felt betrayed that her husband hadn't called or come home yet.

 _You could call him,_ she reminded herself.

She wasn't the one who stormed out of the house in a huff. She wasn't the one who was being hurtful and unreasonable. She wasn't the trying to hide, always trying to hide, while the rest of the world went onward. Whether it was hiding in the sewer or hiding in this damned flat, or hiding in the new dojo, it was the all the same.

Nothing else was the same anymore.

She hefted her bags over her shoulders, each looking like they should weigh her down, but she managed them fine. "I don't know if the others will be by or not," she told him quietly. "But you know the drill." She kissed him again.

"Be safe," he said.

She gave him a compassionate look. "I'm always safe, Teddy Bear."

As soon as she was free of the apartment building, she felt as if a weight was lifted from her back. The pressing down of emotion escaping was so strong that two tears trailed down her cheeks. If she was going to feel alone, she might as well be alone. There were people in this city who needed her, still, even though that number was quickly dwindling each day. They could go to hospitals now, to doctors, hell, some veterinarians even saw mutants! She wiped the tears away as she began her trek down the back alleys of New York City, listening for the voice that was not her voice to tell her the way.

 _Left,_ said the unbidden thought.

So she obediently turned left. Her inner dialogue with her intuition, as Splinter liked to identify it, and she allowed him to, even though she knew he was wrong, had sharpened considerably under his tutelage. He taught her exercises, to talk to herself, ones that she'd never found in any of the myriads of spiritual books that she'd read, and ones he assured her she'd never find in a book. "The important information is not found a book," he told her in his sensei voice.

"I'll show you what information isn't in a book," she'd teased. And she had. And they'd both enjoyed it.

That thought brought another set of tears to her eyes, and she frowned deeply, sitting down on a garbage can, like she did in the old days, trying to get a hold of herself.

"You gotta a lot of stuff for such a little thing."

She looked up to see three teenage boys and two girls, all of them in the full bloom of health, although one of them was obviously intoxicated with something. She guessed, by the way his aura moved, that it was meth. She pointed at him as she sniffed her tears away. "You know that stuff kills you, right?"

"Huh?" He looked around him, then pointed to himself. "You talkin' to me?" He spoke too fast, the drug speaking for him.

"The five of you need to go home," she said curtly. "I'm not in the mood today."

The first one laughed, "I didn't know you needed to be in the mood."

"We're in the mood for what's in the bags," said one of the girls. "And your wallet."

"And that ring on your finger," said another.

She glanced down at her wedding ring, a plain thing, of no monetary value whatsoever, and a flare of anger engulfed her. Goddamned Splinter and his temper, and goddamned teenagers with bad parents who felt they could take whatever they wanted. She dumped both of her bags on the ground, her mouth pursed together. "Go. Home. Now. Before you get hurt."

"The only one getting hurt is you, old lady," said one of them, a knife in his hand.

"You gotta be kidding me," she seethed. In a blink, her slingshot was out, three shots had been fired simultaneously. The teenager with the knife stared at his chest as three separate blooms of blood began to stain his shirt.

There was a sudden cacophany of sound, swearing, each of the other four bearing weapons of their own. Two of them had guns. The shots began ringing out, and with practiced jumps, The Phoenix dodged, vaulted, twirled, and ducked each one, until she was at her assailants. As she leapt in the air, another of the thugs was shot with the slingshot bullet to the neck. He fell to the floor, clutching his throat.

That left her with one of the males and two females. She kicked a gun out of one's hand, her knife slashing upward to cut the artery at her wrist as she did so. A downward stroke cut her chest, and sweep of Phoenix's legs brought her down the ground. A blackflip countered a swing from a bat from the other girl, both of the tendons at her elbows cut with two quick slices, and another at her ear sending her to her ground to bleed out.

The last member shot his gun erratically. She dodged, until it clicked empty. She knew she had less than a minute before the cops were called, and less than two before they arrived. She now blocked his exit from the alley, however he stood between her and her bags. "I told you to go home." Her voice was quiet and deadly, as the teens eyes widened in fear. He threw the gun at her, turned and ran toward the back end of the alley, obviously hoping for something to help him. She followed him, drawing out her sling once again, and landing two bullets to the back of his head. He slumped to the ground just as she heard sirens.

She grabbed her bags, and moved reminiscent of the days where she lived hidden. She reached for a manhole cover. She'd comb the sewers for mutants today, or pop up somewhere else in the city, away from here. In bygone days, she'd have been out for days after an incident like this, calming down. But now, living like normal people, she'd be home sometime tonight.

 _Normal people._ She snorted. _Nothing normal at all about any of us._

TSOTCTSOTC

Donnie trudged up the steps to Mikey and Denim's apartment, intentionally avoiding the elevator. Since it technically wasn't for everyday use, they'd agreed that it was only for Denim to avoid drawing attention to their family's rule breaking. This was one of the rare times he was grateful for his family's intense dedication to physical training. If left to his own devices, he'd likely be woefully out of shape. With the demands of his father growing up and now Leo, as the mantle of authority had nominally transferred, he was several flights up and not even winded.

Taking the stairs did give him time to think. He'd taken an inventory of the basement and sub-basement that he leased in his building, currently full of partially complete projects and accumulated materials that might one day be useful. He had a list of things to relocate to the warehouse and what would remain to be used in the construction of his completely unlicensed and illicit drug manufacturing operation to meet the needs of his mother's growing list of expecting patients.

The first priority, of course, was the mutagen-based, immune-inhibitor to prevent the mothers' immune systems from destructively attacking their own bodies and unborn children. He was just grateful that it, much like his weaker version of retromutagen, didn't require raw mutagen, which had been increasingly impossible to find since the Kraang's failed invasion and he had no intention of traveling to Dimension X to milk a kraathatrogon for more, or April's DNA. The idea of what might happen to her if it became public knowledge that her blood was the key to true retromutagen kept him up at night. A secondary concern was the nutritional supplements to keep up with the ravenous needs of hybrid mutant offspring. He'd originally designed it, based on his mother's description of her pregnancy with Yuuta, but his calculations must have been off as it was proving insufficient to keep up with Denim's needs. Fortunately, insisting that she take additional nutrients by IV once a week seemed to be covering the difference. As for treating the micro-mutations caused by the spillover mutagen into the bloodstream of human mothers, he was still at a loss. It might help to know what kind of effects they produced. Or not. Mutagen was inherently difficult to predict.

But he had most of what he needed to set up the facility and could scavenge for the parts to build the rest. And he'd need to construct a sonogram machine for Denim soon. Though his mother said that she could 'sense' the healthy life force of Denim's unborn child, he'd rather be able to confirm it. They would be able to detect a heartbeat soon, if not already. Buying anything was out of the question as his income had slowed to crawl when family needs superseded everything else. They were currently living off his and April's carefully accumulated savings. Besides, he could build a better version of anything that could be bought. The only point of buying things was usually to save him time.

Finally arriving at their apartment, he pulled out his copy of their key. It was family policy that everyone have access to everyone else's places in case of emergency, not that they couldn't get in if they needed to, but it typically meant less for him to repair afterwards. But, not wanting to startle Denim, he knocked before letting himself in. She should be anticipating his arrival, but it didn't hurt to be considerate.

"Denim. It's Donnie. I need to give you your injection." Silence answered him. Perhaps she was napping.

Not wanting to disturb her, he decided to deal with the sink first. Mikey had sent him several pictures of the damage, so he knew what needed to be done and had come prepared with the necessary parts. He still didn't understand how it had happened. Sure Mikey was more than capable of breaking the sink, but by accident? He and his brother's were generally quite aware of their strength and perfectly able to control it. Most of the time that they broke things in their youth, was the result of rough-housing or Mikey fleeing for his life after successfully Dr. Prankensteining someone, usually Raph. But he was an adult now, so...

The train of thought trailed off as he caught sight of the dried chocolate smears along the wall. Ok, mystery solved perhaps. And eww.

Making a point of ignoring the evidence, he hurried to the bathroom where it took him less than five minutes to repair the sink and restore water to it. As he packed his tools back into his bag, he couldn't help noticing, the broken cabinet and chunk missing from the edge of the marble counter. That was odd and didn't fit well with the rest of the information he'd been given. Something was amiss. Maybe Denim could shed some light on it, though given the evidence in the hallway, he wasn't entirely certain he wanted to know.

Leaving the bathroom, he tapped lightly on the door of the room Denim and Mikey had designated as theirs. "Denim? It's Donnie. You need your injection."

No response. Quietly, opening the door, he was dismayed to find the room empty. Concerned, he proceeded to systematically search the entire apartment. Ending the hunt in the kitchen, also covered in chocolate, he deemed the place to be empty. And also made a mental note not to eat anything Mikey made at home. What was going on?

He'd just started a mass text to the family to see if anyone knew where Denim was, when he caught sight of the dry erase board. She'd gone to work? How could she forget about her injection? She'd nearly died yesterday. And also, eww. Again. That was a level of personal detail in his brother's life that he did not need.

Sighing in frustration, he pulled a thermos of nutritional supplement out of his bag to leave in the fridge. Feeling his phone buzz, he wondered if Denim had remembered that he was coming over and was now apologizing for forgetting. Looking at the device, confirmed that not to be the case, but he couldn't say he was disappointed.

"Hey April, how did your lunch with Karai go?"

She paused before speaking, usually a sign that something was wrong. "I talked to her about the message."

He leaned back against the counter, immediately regretting it as he laid his free arm in mostly dried, chocolate. "And?"

"She said it was some jerk making anonymous threats and took it down for Leo and your dad's sake."

There was a note of skepticism in her voice that he couldn't help but pick up on. "But you don't believe her?"

"It's not that. Everything she said makes sense. It's just that, I can't shake the feeling that something's wrong."

That said a lot, particularly because it was April. "Don't worry. I'm sure I can retrieve the message and identify whoever sent it."

April huffed out a laugh. "Along with the million other things you need to do."

He sighed. She was right. He hadn't felt this overwhelmed since Leo had been riding him to find a cure for Karai's mutation back when they were kids. Incidentally, that had been one of his few, notable failures. "I'll find the time. Somehow. Right now, he need to track Denim down at work, since she didn't see fit to meet up for her injection."

He could her April chuckle at the note of irritation that had seeped through into his words and felt some of the annoyance abate. "Good luck with that."

He smiled. "Thanks April, see you tonight."

She laughed again, sounding much more lighthearted than she had at the start of the call. "Count on it."


	34. Chapter 33

Splinter had hoped that he would have calmed down by the time his sons arrived for training. He had meditated, and probably dozed some, during the night he was at the dojo, occasionally listening to the noises outside the building. It was not in the most safe of areas, but that was neither here nor there, really. As had been so blatantly pointed out at his home, he was used to being in danger, and he could take care of any that cared to show up at the Hamato Dojo.

Unlike his set up in the sewers, this ninjitsu dojo was set up in a very similar one to his home in Japan. Tatami mats adorned the floors, not used, discarded, and threadbare carpets. The walls were hung with tapestries, all of them painted by Arcos as a gift, in the medieval Japanese art style. Wooden weapons, painted to look like the real thing, hung above the tapestries. At first, Aries had placed his actual stash about the dojo, a proud smile on his muzzle at his accomplishment-until Donatello pointed out that the neighborhood they resided in was not the best, and perhaps showing off all of their accouterments would be asking for trouble. They were quickly replaced with wooden replicas, made by the ram himself, his whittling talent coming in handy.

Having sent Leo home when the young man had first arrived at the dojo, only minutes after him, he was expecting his eldest son to be on time for training. However, Donatello and Raphael were the only two to show up. He knew Michelangelo was working, and he suspected that Leo had fallen asleep, probably after falling victim to his daughter's charms. She was so much like her mother, even without ever having known her, fiery and afraid. Like her mother, she put herself in harms way to prove that she was not afraid, that she could handle whatever came her way, usually on her own. This tactic was not out of character for her, just as it had not been out of character for her mother to do something similar, if she saw an injustice.

His chest felt the familiar ache it always did when he thought of Tang Shen. It didn't hurt any longer, like it used to. He was sure that she had forgiven him his sins, and she wished him to live a life filled with the happiness she had intended to bring into it all those years ago. But she had been able to make him forget his anger with her with a few words and twists of her body. He had never mastered his resistance to that form of her manipulations, and wondered if his eldest son ever would either.

However, Leonardo did not seem to hang onto things the way he did, so perhaps he would be spared the need to have to.

"Karai won't be coming to practice today," he said, kneeling down in matching pose to his father's. As soon as he'd entered the dojo, he'd prepared the tea tray for them, silently, just as Splinter had taught him. "She has a lunch date with April about this Everyone campaign."

Splinter nodded imperceptibly, his irritation growing at his daughter's brush off of her practice.

"That, and I think she's still really scared of you, Sensei."

 _She should be,_ he wanted to say. _She is the child, and I am the elder._ But he didn't.

He nodded again, this time accompanying it with a grunt.

"She has really good intentions, Sensei," Leo continued. "She wants to help. She wants to do good. And April and Donnie is just as much a part of this as-"

Splinter raised a hand to silence him. "I have already spoken with your brother. We will have a family meeting tonight after Raphael and Aries get off of work."

"Sensei, that's 3 in the morning." Leo tried not to squirm.

"Then we will have a family meeting at 3 in the morning," he said, his voice indicating that the conversation was over.

TSOTCTSOTC

A full blown migraine had landed Denim in the hospital more than once. That wasn't a place she wanted to be while carrying such precious cargo. Unfounded hate was one thing she'd had a crash course early on in since dating Michelangelo. Not his obviously, but others. It could hide behind all the places that were supposed to promise safety, and a hospital was no exception. If she were admitted she'd spend the entire time refusing everything they'd want to treat her with.

She realized after lunch, when her muscles began twitching, that she'd missed her morning injection. That paired with her increasingly blurry vision and pounding skull made two things very clear. One, Donatello was going to give her the lecture of the hour. The hour not the century, or the year, month, week or even day, because it wouldn't be the first or last. And two, she had to make it home.

Right then, as she scanned her badge clocking out for the day she was glad she'd pushed through the entire shift. James, her supervisor asked her multiple times if she needed to go home, and was a little too eager to send her. She wasn't going to give him any reason to fire her.

She made her way on shaky legs toward the store exit, noticing a customer fingering a bag of coffee near the cafe. This wouldn't seem out of the ordinary except for the fact that he'd been lingering around the store in various places throughout the day. She grew weary after catching him staring at her more than once.

Her training told her to confront him when he followed her out of the building. It also told her to weave her way among other pedestrians and to stay in the crowd. But after bumping into the third person and being told to _'watch where you're goin' lady!'_ She went against her instincts and worked her way to the wall of store windows, depending on them to guide her in a straight line.

 _Just_ _two blocks from the pizzeria, Denim. You can make it. You can-_

Her follower came up quick behind her, reeking of body odor and cigarettes as he slipped a slimy hand around her waist and pressed his mouth into her hair. "Don't fight me or I'll gut you right here on the street. You understand?"

Denim's stomach bottomed out, her abdominal muscles clenching tight as adrenaline exploded through her. Her heart flopped madly against her ribs, blood rushing her fingertips. She was in a compromised state, unarmed, and as he turned his wrist the edge of a blade made a tiny warning cut into her hip. Her breath hitched as she nodded her concession and he pushed her into the alley.

She used to be able to control her natural flight or fight responses. But her pregnancy stole that from her. When her right leg buckled she stumbled, and his blade dug deeper when he didn't loosen his grip while she righted herself.

"I'm pregnant. Please, if you're going to cut me can you slice my arm or leg or something?" It wasn't in her to beg, but under the circumstances even some criminals wouldn't hurt a pregnant woman. It was worth a try.

He nibbled her ear, then a serpentine tongue flickered into her canal as he hissed, "I know what you are, and that your mate is a mutant, like me. I can ssssmell it all over you."

Denim looked down at the arm holding her, but was unable to make out details beyond the fact that his skin looked human, even if it was slippery. "Who are you? Who sent you? And what do you want?"

He spread his fingers wide over her abdomen while pushing the tip of the knife deeper into her side. Denim sucked in a breath as the pressure grew.

"Nobody sent me. I'm just curious. I want to see it." As he pulled his wrist back dragging the knife across her flesh, his intentions became clear. She inhaled deep, screaming at the top of her lungs while whipping her head up and back cracking her already pounding skull against his face.

TSOTCTSOTC

Disgruntled, Donnie slipped through the crowded, New York foot traffic, avoiding people more through deeply ingrained training and reflexes than any actual attention. To say that the day was going badly would be a massive understatement.

Despite everything he should be spending his time doing, he'd spent most of the morning playing superintendent for his family. That Mikey wrecked his bathroom and Raph destroyed his kitchen all in the same morning was incredibly bad luck. His head might not still be throbbing from the headlock, Raph had given him after he'd unwisely compared him to Leo after seeing the state of the kitchen, but by that point in the day he'd been too annoyed to be tactful, even if it was Raph.

Having Denim ditch out on her injection the day after nearly dying from missing the previous one was mind boggling and his mother's terrifying wrath when he popped in to see if she had come to her for a check hadn't improved anything. And now, because they had to pretend they were normal, he was slogging his way through a million other people to Denim's work, when he could make the trip in a fraction of the time across the rooftops.

To save some time and make some use of his unexpected detour, he'd opted to delegate at least one of his tasks. And so, while making his way through a horde of pushy people who were just as happy to walk through him as around him, he was on his phone, linked into his home network, setting a script to run, searching out and collecting data on Karai's missing message. The code was old, as he hadn't bothered updating it recently, but it should still work, though perhaps not as efficiently as it could. He'd let it run and check in on it later.

Familiar screams split the air and he almost dropped his phone as he sprinted towards the source, having enough awareness to note in annoyance that the only reaction of the other pedestrians to the terrified shrieks was to quicken their pace. He rounded the corner to the alley, just in time to see Denim, trapped in the grip of a large man holding what appeared to be homemade shiv to her abdomen, whip her head back to slam it into the man's face with a sickening crunch.

Her assailant staggered back, the hood of his bulky sweatshirt falling away from his face to reveal that he was a mutant, a lizard from the varanidae family, probably a komodo dragon, though the odds of someone having most recently being exposed to such an unusual creature right before getting splatted with mutagen seemed astronomically low.

Denim was in a full on blind panic, still screaming and lashing out randomly at an opponent she clearly couldn't see. His mind momentarily blanked as her fist smashed a hole clean through the nearby steel dumpster.

Her attacker spat out blood, though more streamed down his face from his crushed snout. Seeing the extent of the injury, the man should've either been unconscious or writhing on the ground in agony. How was he even still standing?

Hand tightening on the blade, he charged forwards to shank Denim, her wild swings not deterring him at all. For a microsecond, Donnie could see a worst case scenario in which he had to explain the tragedy to his baby brother. Before he knew what was happening, he leapt forward, plowing a rib-shattering kick into the man's ribs as he arched backwards to avoid having his head taken off by Denim, hearing his messenger back hit the pavement somewhere behind him.

Flipping back upright, he rolled forward to avoid being bludgeoned by the sister he was trying to protect and close the distance between himself and the bastard attacking her. Despite the blow he'd just landed, the man was climbing back to his feet, seemingly unaware of the damage to his body. Either he was on something, insane or possibly both. Whether said insanity had been a preexisting condition or a manifestation of his mutation, a process just as capable of altering the mind as well as the body, or some combination of the two, Donnie couldn't tell, but the man's ability to continue fighting long after he should have been down was a problem.

Cursing the societal norms that prevented him from carrying his bo staff on him, a tool he'd almost never been without in times past, he eyed his opponent cautiously, guess that precision strikes might not work he'd be reduced to simply causing enough physical damage to prevent the guy's body from functioning. And he had to do it unarmed.

 _A ninja is never without a weapon._

He could almost hear his father's voice in his head as he ducked and rolled beneath the man's charging slash, somehow still in possession of his makeshift knife. A quick survey of the alley, revealed a heap of twisted old rebar beside the dumpster, torn up and discarded from some kind of demolition. Not ideal, but better than nothing.

Dodging below another slash, he swept his foot out and kicked one of the iron bars up into his waiting hands. Bringing it up, he used one end to send the blade skittering down the alley, before using the other to sweep the lizard's feet out from under him. As his opponent fell, he brought the bar up and around to bring it down full force on his opponents head, bouncing his skull off the concrete with a nauseating crunch. The komodo dragon didn't get up this time.

The rebar slipped from Donnie's numb fingers as stared down at the crumpled heap of a person in front of him. When he saw the mutant's chest rise ever so slightly from an intake of breath, he was almost weak with relief. Although it was sometimes unavoidable, he never handled killing very well and sought to spare his opponents whenever possible. It didn't help this man was likely mentally ill and not fully accountable for his actions.

A groan, emanating from the alley entrance drew his attention away and he looked up in time to see Denim sag against the brick wall and slide to the ground unconscious. Recalling what the man at his feet had tried to do, he felt his natural inclination towards compassion ebb. He was alive and welcome to help himself when he came to.

Rushing to her side, he hooked the strap of his bag and dragged it towards him while taking her vitals. Pulse strong. No major injuries, though she did have a cut on her side, a lump sprouting on the back of her head and a myriad of lacerations amid the growing swelling on the hand she'd used to break the dumpster. Her pupils weren't responding properly to the light though. That was a problem.

Pulling the syringe out of his bag, he quickly disinfected her arm and shot the fluid into her veins. No response. Of course it wasn't immediate, but he couldn't help the rising panic. He really wished he'd braved his mother's temper and insisted she come along. Of course, she'd probably have had to bring the kids who absolutely did not need to see a nutjob nearly filet Denim before he bludgeoned the man unconscious with a lump of iron. But he could really use her help now.

Fumbling out his phone, he called her, praying she'd pick up. Instead it went straight to voicemail. Of course he phone had to be off. Scooping Denim up, he rapidly scaled the fire escape to the roof tops. Screw normal. He needed to get her back to his parent's apartment now.

TSOTCTSOTC

Arcos poured some more batter in the pan, the smell of baking filling the apartment as the stack by his side began to grow. Alli had suggested that they have pancakes for dinner, and Arcos replied that some pancakes sounded lovely. Of course, to Arcos, some pancakes meant a lot of pancakes, he was a bear after all, and needed to eat. But there were only five boxes in the cupboard, so those five boxes would have to do for the four of them.

The apartment had been very quiet after his mother left, and he'd sketched a little to keep his mind quiet. He was working on a series of oil paintings, portraits, of each of his previous roommates who had stood in front of him and told him, to his face, they did not feel safe in the loft with him any longer and that they wanted him to leave. The portraits were real to life, save that each one of them was a vulture mutant. He named each one their full name and birthdate, and already had a commission from someone off the 'net for a similar painting. He didn't feel bad about it one iota. In fact, he considered painting Jennifer as a Doberman Pincher, but that would be an insult to all the dog mutants he knew. He didn't have the appropriate animal for her yet, but when he did, and when he was angry, he would paint her, real to life, just like his vulturous roommates.

Jennifer. He sighed. Maybe she should just be a vulture too, she'd used the same words as his roommates had.

 _"I don't feel safe around you," she said, clutching her purse to her chest._

 _"You're joking, right?" he asked, his deep, grizzly voice low. Several passersby at the park looked in their direction. His voice was often mistaken for angry, but he knew that there was no way that could be happening now. The pain in his voice was too apparent._

 _"Mutants have known to go feral," she told him, blinking slowly, her long, blond hair blowing slightly in the wind._

 _"Which mutants?" he demanded. He'd never heard of a mutant 'going feral'. "What does that even mean?"_

 _"it means that mutants become animals sometimes, Arcos," she said. She didn't seem very upset, but was acting frightened, like he might hurt her._

 _"I don't understand," he said, but he did understand. He understood too well._

 _"You're a bear, Arcos," she said._

 _He looked down at his paws. "Did you just now notice that?" he asked. He looked back up at her, shaking his muzzle. "Did you not noticed that when you first met me? Or how about when we kissed, and it was a laughing fest? Or when we first slept together? I was a bear then, too!"_

 _"Excuse me, miss," said a man, glaring at Arcos. "Is this bothering you?"_

 _This? He was a this, now? Not even a he? He looked Jennifer, fully expecting her to defend him._

 _"It's alright," Jennifer told the man. "We're almost done."_

Arcos had put the sketchbook down and began making a good deal of noise in the apartment. As expected, three little people emerged, pleased as punch that the bear was there to babysit, and not grouchy Phoenix.

"Pancakes for you," Arcos laid a plate in front of Anton. "For you," and Allie, "and you!" Yuuta got his last, holding his fork and knife his hands like a barbarian.

"Syrup!" Alli raised her fork in the air.

"Syrup, please," Arcos corrected.

Antonello chuckled. "Ya always gotta say please, or don't get none."

"Syrup, pleased!" Alli announced, now raising her fork.

"Close enough," Arcos put the bottle in the middle of the table and backed away at the scrabbling for it that ensued. "You need five bottles of syurp," he noted. "Not five boxes of mix."

The door burst open, Donnie was carrying Denim in his arms. "Where's mother?"


	35. Chapter 34

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe stretched full out, arms above her head, curling her toes in what she knew looked as cat like as it felt. And she could care less what any passersby might think of the low audible purr rumbling in her chest. She was enjoying a late afternoon of people watching, sun bathing, and cat napping in the park. In fact it was a kind of therapeutic habit that had been a large part of her transition into civilization.

She had trust issues. Everyone who knew her knew that. It wasn't only humans she didn't trust. The real questioning of anyone's character stemmed from who they might be working for, and whether or not they were hunting her. She exhaled deep and long, pushing as much of her fears and worries from her chest as she could.

Observing people in a relaxed atmosphere, where they were usually happy, playing as a family or walking off stress, helped her to read them better. From the distance in a runner's eyes, to the warmth in a mother's as she pushed her child in a stroller, spending time among them but not being expected to interact, had helped her get used to coping with crowds. It was a shot or two of bourbon that made the few nights she gone out to the club bearable. All in all though, the hair on her neck didn't rise every time someone walked by her anymore.

It didn't hurt that she was really and truly happy with her family. Domestic life suited her just fine. She taught her yoga classes, took Anton to and from school, cleaned the house and managed to grocery shop just like a normal human. Her heart sank a bit. She wasn't human and never would be. Not that she wanted that. Prior to Raph she hadn't wanted for anything more than freedom over herself and control over her kill conditioning.

Her current life was the closest she'd ever come to being free and even it had its restraints. She really couldn't want for more though, not with the world in the state it was. Well, except maybe for the whole arbitration thing to work out for Anton. That didn't seem like too much to ask for.

Her thoughts were breeched by a familiar energy gravitating toward her in purposeful strides. Zoe smiled as she lifted a hand to shield her eyes.

"So, what'd it take for you to sneak away from Raph?" Karai asked, shoving Zoe's small lunch bag to the side with her foot before plopping down on the blanket. She kicked off her shoes and lay back, folding her arms under her head. "And you know if you ever tell another soul about this place I'll never forgive you."

Zoe's lips curled a bit forming an amused smirk. "What'd it take for you to get away from, Leo?"

Karai snorted. "That was easy, he had training and I had lunch with April. When that was done I needed a break, and here you are in my spot."

"My spot," Zoe corrected, lowering her hand and closing her eyes.

"It's my spot, and you never said how you got away from Raph. I know it wasn't easy with everything that's been going on." Karai sat up, and Zoe peeked at her, watching her sister do something on her phone.

Zoe snickered. "My classes were early this morning, then we trained, then he had training with Master Splinter. While they were doing that I slipped out. I sent him a text, told him I was going to the grocery. As long as I check in later he'll be fine. He's working tonight anyway."

After a few minutes without a reply Zoe lifted up on her elbows, to get a closer look at what Karai was furiously typing away at. "I'm stressed about the arbitration. Anton might get expelled from school over that whole thing with Alli's shirt. Do you think that the kids that were picking on Alli will be there with their parents? I mean I guess that's a stupid question. Of course they will be." She lowered back down, still watching her sister. "I don't like the idea of me and Raph being stuck in a small space with what are probably a bunch of haters."

Karai didn't even mumble any sort of placating reassurance. Neither woman pried or pushed the other, which was largely how they'd gotten so close. This was a particular relief in the Hamato family as the boys seldom let anything go. They wanted to know what was going on so they could try to fix it. Sometimes Zoe wanted to talk, but didn't expect a solution, she just wanted to be heard. That was how she and Karai ended up spending many afternoons in Central Park, either sunbathing in silence, or venting without expectation. They usually ended up telling one another everything from what happened in bed the night before, to what they were having for dinner. At times there were distractions, like whatever Karai was currently engrossed in, but something about the hard line of her mouth and the way her fingers flew over the screen deemed this something important.

Zoe rolled to her side, propping her head up with her hand. "So, Raph tried to burn down the apartment this morning."

Seconds passed.

Then a minute.

Nothing.

That was a guaranteed laugh or retort, and she'd gotten no response.

Zoe sat up, reached over and snatched Karai's phone. "Alright, what's going on?"

"Shit. Zoe, be careful you'll lose it. I haven't saved it yet!" Karai didn't try to get the device back which shocked Zoe. Usually there would be a full on wrestling match between them, no different than a spat between Leo and Raph.

She looked down at the dimly lit screen, finding it difficult to see with the glare of the sun. Shading it with one hand she was able to read what looked to be the draft of a speech… about mutant rights. She frowned, handing the phone back to Karai. "What is this?"

Karai heaved a sigh. "It's a speech. My second one actually. I'm going to start doing regular broadcasts counteracting the one-sided news, and AFH's bullshit propaganda, with the truth." She glanced at Zoe. "I guess you didn't see me on the news last night?"

Zoe would usually laugh at the ridiculous question. She avoided the news like the plague. Raph usually did too, except when he caught clips of it after watching a game with Casey. Then it would piss him off and the two of them would slip off into the night and he'd come home bruised. Zoe hated the news, it never amounted to anything good. "I'm not even going to answer that."

"Yeah, stupid question, I know." With a few more taps she locked her phone and lay back to stare at the sky.

Zoe stared at her. "So that's it then?"

Karai closed her eyes. "Don't start, Zoe. I expected you to understand."

A rush of emotions surfaced, but Zoe was ready for them, swallowing down the lump in her throat while mentally imagining the sudden knot in her stomach untying. She wasn't going to lose her shit on her sister. She wasn't. She wasn't going to drill her for drawing the eye of the public on their family, on her, and Anton and Raph. Except, why the hell didn't she just shine a spot light on them and scream from the rooftops with a megaphone? 'Hey she's over here! Come take my sister away from everything she's every wanted and loved.'

"Zoe, stop with the growling shit." Karai nudged her side and Zoe let out a reflexive hiss. "Seriously, knock that off. It's going to be fine. You won't be near any of our operation. We'll keep you out of it."

Zoe's muscles coiled. "What do you mean operation?"

"April and I started a grass roots campaign called Americans for Everyone, to counter the AFH. We're going to rally to keep the rights we have, and even get new laws passed. I mean, bathrooms and seating shouldn't be segregated, and we should be allowed to marry."

Zoe's teeth ground together. Marry? _Marry?_ She was lucky to be out walking around with a clear head, a mate and a son. That was enough for her. She just wanted to keep her little family under the radar, safe, to try and live as peacefully as possible. And there Karai was-

"Seriously, Zoe. It's going to be fine. Chill out with all that catty shit. It's loud and people are looking." Karai reached out to jab her again and Zoe swiped her hand away, locking eyes with her sister.

"Well it doesn't seem to matter to you about what will happen if they look. So let them!" She sprang to her feet and turned on her heel, leaving Karai, her blanket, and her bag.

She hadn't made it fifty feet when her phone buzzed.

Half of her wanted to ignore it in case it was Karai already texting her, but it could also be Raph or Phoenix about Anton. She tugged it from her pocket and stopped mid-step.

It was a family group text.

Leo: Family meeting 3AM per Sensei.

From across the park she heard Karai at the same time she muttered it herself.

"Shit."

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix walked about 150 yards before flopping down on the ground and bursting into tears. She wasn't sure how long she cried, but her head and throat began to hurt. That wasn't how today was supposed to go. She wasn't supposed to get in a fight with her husband, she wasn't supposed to go bonkers on the kids, she wasn't supposed to annihilate a group of delinquents. Part of her felt no remorse for what she'd just done, but a tiny bit, which had become louder since her return to civilization, admonished that they each deserved their time in court, with a jury of their peers.

 _It is what keeps us civilized,_ the unbidden thought said.

"Civilized can kiss my ass," she cried. Then she gagged.

The smell of sewage was so overwhelming, she could barely get her breath in. She stood up, suddenly aware of what she had sat herself down in. She began to head down the tunnel, the stench not abating, as she looked up for a new manhole cover. Had she actually lived down here? And thought it was alright?

She recognized where she was, she left an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach, and chose to pass up the last two manhole covers to emerge at her old stomping grounds-Flatbush.

The Haitian community hadn't changed any since the war, despite that it was one of the main battle grounds on several occasions. The gang activity was still active, and she was still active within it. She breathed deep when she emerged, while the smell of asphalt and diesel fuel filled her lungs, it was better than sewage.

 _The sewer saved you,_ the unbidden thought said.

"It also stinks," she answered. She still smelled, and briefly considered breaking open a hydrant to at least rinse herself off, before she was told by her inner voice to go to Diskle Street. She knew exactly where it was, and as soon as she saw the street sign, she knew why she'd been lead there. Standing against a building was a dog mutant, a German shepherd by the looks of him, and in his arms was a human woman, obviously pregnant. She ran over to him, a sense of her urgency filling her body. The dog looked up, and his tail began wagging. The movement caused the woman in his arms to do the same, but she looked at Phoenix not with the German shepherd's smile, but a furrowed brow. Her eyes were red, it was obvious she'd been crying.

"You're like magic!" the mutant said, turning the woman fully around. "How did you know how to come?"

"Magic," Phoenix replied. The dog mutant wrinkled his noise. _Merde,_ she thought. "I don't smell like magic, though, do I?"

"You smell like you fell in shit," he said.

"I did," she replied, her voice cracking. "What's the matter?" she asked, before this line of conversation could continue.

"Who," the woman asked, "are you?"

"She's the mutant doctor I was telling you about," the dog mutant said. "She'll help."

"What's the matter?" she asked, putting her hand on the woman's shoulder.

The young lady immediately calmed down, taking a deep breath. "The OB/GYN said I needed an injection to keep the baby healthy."

Phoenix nodded sagely.

"It's costs $14,000 an injection," she wailed. "$14,000!"

Phoenix winced. "I take it insurance doesn't cover it?"

"Insurance won't touch it with a ten foot pole," the shepherd said. "We just got off the phone with them."

"Can I?" Phoenix asked, gesturing toward the woman's abdomen.

The woman wrinkled her nose, but nodded.

"I promise I don't normally smell like this," she replied, hoping it was true. She put her hands on the young woman's swollen belly, a feeling of certainty coming to her. "I don't think you're in any immediate danger." She smiled warmly. "But we'd need a more private place if you wanted me to do a more thorough examination."

The woman looked to her partner, who wagged his tail, panting and nodded his head.

She looked dubious, but finally nodded in assent. "Our apartment is right up there."

She followed the couple up the stairs to their tiny apartment. As the German shepherd was unlocking the door, the woman said, "You need to wash up first?"

Phoenix wanted to crawl down a hole. "Yes," she admitted, "that would probably be good."

The dog put his hand on her shoulder, like she was an old friend. "You might not remember," he said, "but you helped me a long time ago, when I became a mutant, before the war." He looked his partner, "If it wasn't for her, I'd be dead. More than once."

They lead her to their bathroom, where the young lady, who introduced herself as Anne, started the shower. _No hints there,_ Phoenix blushed. "We'll wash your clothes for you," the shepherd, Jasque, said. "It's the least we can do."

So she ended up pushing her jeans, fitted t-shirt, bra and panties through a crack in the door to them, and got in the shower to get clean.

Alone.

She laughed.

She was in the shower alone. With no one. Without having to finagle a kid! Soon, the young couple on the other side of the door would miss that little part of their previous lives, but right now, she could enjoy the reprieve of no Yuuta or Anton, or both, to have to wash with her. When she emerged, a long t-shirt, obviously Jasque's, and a pair of panties, obviously Anne's pre-pregnancy were waiting for her. She had no qualms about wearing other people's underwear, it was only the past few years that she'd had fresh ones of her own anyway. Once donned for what looked like bed, she came out of the bathroom.

"Jasque's been lying to me," Anne said. "He's been telling me all kinds of crazy adventures you've had that can't possibly be true."

"They're most likely all lies, then," she said with a wink.

"I was there," Jasque replied defensively. "She was head of the medical units for the war." He turned to Phoenix. "Weren't you?"

She licked her lips, suddenly feeling exposed in only a t-shirt and panties. "At the beginning," she said. _Then the real doctors came on board..._ She hoped that the hurt in her chest didn't show on her face. "Let's get a look at you."

The three of them travailed to the bedroom, where Anne was given a thorough examination, with Phoenix explaining everything she did. Both of them were surprised, apparently their OB/GYN did not give such a courtesy. "You should be fine," she told them. "No worries right now. And if there are, I'll come to help."

"Can you come, like, a regular OB?" Anne asked.

"I can," she said, suddenly feeling very tired. She sat on the edge of the bed. "I think at this point in the pregnancy you'd go once a month?"

Anne nodded.

"I'd recommend I see you once a week. Just to make sure everything stays smooth."

The smile faded from Anne's face, and Phoenix immediately knew why.

"You don't have to pay me," she said, taking the girl's hand. "I do this because I want to, and because I can."

Tears brimmed Anne's eyes, but then expression changed to one of alarm.

"What?" Phoenix asked. Her golden ants, the glow that was not a glow that she examined Anne's body with, the unbidden thought, none of them gave her any indication that anything was wrong.

"Are you alright?" Anne asked. "You look-"

"tired," Jasque answered for her.

"I am tired," she admitted. "I had a long night."

"Sleep!" Anne jumped up off of the bed, and threw back the covers. Jasque pushed her gently toward the pillows. "We can pay you with that!"

"You're clothes have to dry, still, "the German shepherd told her. "Might as well nap while you can."

"That's what I should be saying to you!" Phoenix protested. But it was the only protest she gave. Soon, the two of them had tucked her in, closed the blinds, closed the door, and in sheets that smelled like lavender, she conked out.

TSOTCTSOTC

" _Denim, what happened in your last foster placement-" Her social worker, a portly woman with a blonde bob, scowled. Denim hadn't bothered to learn her name since she seldom had the same one for more than one placement. "That kind of thing won't happen again. When that woman was approved she didn't have a boyfriend and she never reported her status changed. If she had we would've run a background check and it would've come up." The woman fidgeted with the corner of Denim's file then looked her in the eye. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? I'm here to listen."_

 _Denim snorted then looked around the plain office. "No you're here to move me." She shifted in her chair, using the toe of her sneaker to balance on the counselor's desk. "So where am I headed this time?"_

" _Charleston. There's a group home with space for you."_

 _Denim sat up, letting the chair slam to the floor, her heart a knot in her chest. "It's because I'm thirteen and damaged, isn't it? No one wants a teenager." Her jaw ached but she forced her quivering lip to still. No one wanted her…Was ever going to want her. She was never going to have parents. She was going to age out, never adopted._

" _Denim, the abuse had to go in your chart. All potential fosters must be aware of what they'll be dealing with."_

 _Denim glared at the woman. "He abused me, not the other way around."_

 _The woman frowned. "I know. I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?"_

" _No." Denim stared at her, long seconds passing as the blonde waited._

 _She hated it when counselors did that, thinking if they waited long enough that she'd open up. They didn't care. It didn't happen to them and they'd heard it a thousand times. Tears burned her eyes but she blinked them back. "Just send me."_

 _The counselor faded, her face blurring and contorting into another blonde with a similar build. Connie._

" _You know I wasn't sure about my son bein' friends with the likes of an orphan girl," she sliced the apple pie, before scooping a heap of vanilla ice cream and piling it on top. As she guided the plate towards her Denim wasn't sure whether to throw it in her face or brace herself for what insult she might throw at her next. She opted to eat the pie and Connie didn't leave her waiting long. "But if anything the two of you shooting rifles together has been good for his relationship with his father." She leaned over the counter to whisper, "But my son doesn't love you and he never will."_

 _Connie's face fractured into a thousand pieces, falling to the floor._

 _Kyle appeared as the kitchen evaporated into a familiar battlefield._

 _"You shouldn't be out here. You should've told the CO this morning. You don't wait until we're in the field, sighting a target to tell me something like this, Denni." His hands were shaking as he huddled close beside her, checking them again._

 _"You've checked my shot five times, Kyle. I've got it, and I just found out this morning. Excuse me if it hadn't quite sunk in until just now while shit is getting blown up. I didn't think it would be this bad today."_

 _"It's war, Denim. It's bad every day. And you're wrong, your shot is off. If you take it now you'll miss."_

 _"I won't miss. Look, check my scope. I'm taking out the supply truck. What are you aiming for?"_

 _"For getting us both out of this alive when you hit the mark. Fuck, Denni, the minute you saw the results, it should've sunk in."_

 _"Well, I'm slow that way, Kyle. And the shots good, I'm taking it."_

 _She rolled onto her belly, looked, aimed, squeezed the trigger… and missed._

 _The enemy scrambled, firing a spray of bullets into their cover. One grazed her head and Kyle threw himself onto her._

 _Denim felt as though she were watching her life re-enacting its worst moments and braced herself for what she knew would happen next. Only the shot never came, instead Kyle, still hovering over her, slid his hand down her thigh, releasing her field knife from its hold._

 _"What are you doing?" She tried to roll to her back to look at him, but he had her pinned._

 _His lips lowered to her ear as he pressed the tip of the blade to her hip. "Don't worry, I'll get it out."_

 _Denim opened her eyes to darkness. "No! My baby! My baby! My baby!" Where was she? Why couldn't she see? Her pounding head was ignored as her belly tightened into a hard knot. She dropped her hands to her abdomen feeling for her baby, unable to register that it was within her. Tears slipped into her mouth as she screamed, recoiling backward until she was pressed against a wall where she folded over herself. "My baby! My baby!"_


	36. Chapter 35

Karai was still seething when she sent the message. April would proofread the speech and get back to her with comments and suggestions. Hopefully she'd also catch and deal with any of the fury that might have seeped through. Pissed off wasn't exactly what she was going for with their groups PR image. April was probably setting up the message boards and calendar, so she didn't expect a quick response.

She didn't want to be at odds with Zoe, but couldn't help being ticked at her sister's short-sightedness. Who was supposed to be the one that got why she needed to do the things she did. But she was too busy hunkering down, trying to be invisible to see.

Karai wasn't doing this for herself, though she resented being treated as less than for any reason. She knew that she and most of her family could easily live in hiding, they'd done it before and their traditions lent them to a life of secrecy. But there was another generation now. One that deserved better.

Surely, Zoe wanted something more for Anton. A life of freedom and options, where he could pursue whichever future he wanted for himself, enjoying the same rights as everyone else. Why was she sending him to school if she didn't want a better future for him? That's what and who Karai was doing this for, even if she'd never be contributing to the creation of that generation.

A familiar ache squeezed her heart and she thrust the thought away as quickly as it had snuck up on her. Probably for the best. What did she know about mothering anyway? She'd been denied her own mother and didn't get Phoenix until she was essentially an adult. A lot of good that did her.

Enough sulking, she had work to do. Zoe would either suck it up, or not. And she had a family meeting, probably featuring her inexcusable recklessness, to look forward to in the middle of the night.

Further ignoring the family admonition to blend in, she took to the rooftops, moving more efficiently through the city and burning off her frustration through exertion. If anyone saw her, they could think what they liked.

Finally arriving at the rooftop that overlooked Murakami's shop, she found the spot where the video must have been taken. The whole place was oddly clean of the usual litter and debris.

Her tongue elongated and forked as she flicked it out to pick up whatever scent markers had been left behind. Instead she recoiled from all the bleach surrounding her. The roof was covered in it, burning out any and all evidence she might have found on her stalkers. Further examination revealed that the fire escape had been included in the cleansing, straight down to the alley, where there were far too many trails to narrow down whichever individual might have been spying.

Whoever it was had covered their tracks in a chillingly professional manner. It was just supposed to be some motivated haters. This level of expertise was unexpected.

She couldn't help the surge if irritation at the hornet's nest she seemed to have kicked. It just figured that she'd stumble into an inexplicably competent hate group. She could already hear Leo's unspoken I told you so and see her father's expression of smug serenity as he lectured her on thinking her actions through. Dammit!

Her phone buzzed and she nearly spat venom at it when she saw the sender.

Reluctantly, she opened the video attachment, more voyeurism, no doubt.

Her heart stuttered. It was Denim, being dragged into an alley at knifepoint by some hooded thug while the rest of the foot traffic around her pointedly ignored the situation.

She recognized the place, not far from Denim's work. Swearing profusely, she took off at breakneck speed to the sight of the attack, knowing full well that there was no chance she could arrive in time to save her.

TSOTCTSOTC

Raph groped groggily around the nightstand, seeking out the offending noise so he could smash it. Between morning training and working all night, he needed to catch as much sleep as possible now. And Donnie thinking he was funny about the kitchen mess earlier sure hadn't put him in a great mood.

His hand landing on the ringing cell phone and despite his first impulse to chuck it across the room into the far wall, he examined the screen with bleary eyes.

Donnie? What now? If this was about the kitchen he was going to waterboard his brother in the sink.

"What?"

"We got a problem and I can't get a hold of mom. Can you get over to her and dad's place now?" Donnie's voice sounded a few shades shy of panicking.

Raph came fully awake in an instant. "Anton?" He could feel his throat constricting as he asked.

"No. Denim. She was attacked and she's not waking up. Arcos has the kids, but I need help."

Raph let out a shuddering breath as his immediate relief was swallowed by a fresh tide of worry.

"I'll be right there."

TSOTCTSOTC

Karai darted towards the alley that Denim had disappeared into, finding it completely empty to her dismay. A few flicks of her tongue told her that it had been cleaned, just like the rooftop earlier. What the fuck?

Punching the wall hard enough to make her hand go numb, she leaned forward, resting her trembling head against the cool brickwork. This was her fault. She'd done this. Denim was gone now and she was to blame.

Not for doing what needed to be done, but for not taking the necessary precautions to protect her family. She'd just assumed the target painted on her would be big and distracting enough. She hadn't taken these enemies seriously enough. And now there were consequences. Consequences she would have to live with.

But her enemies would not. She would hunt them down. No matter how long it took or what she needed to do. She would find them. And she would make them beg for death.

 _Revenge is not our way_.

She hissed at her father's voice echoing through her head. This could not be allowed to go unanswered.

With unnatural swiftness, she climbed to the roof to collect herself. Crouching there in the eye of her emotional storm, she caught scent of something that pulled her back from the brink.

Donnie.

And Denim.

Their scent trail leading away from the alley. Donnie had her. She was alive.

 _You hope._ Her inner voice added.

She had to know. No matter what, Donnie would probably take her to mother.

Straightening, she turned and ran for home.

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey knocked on the door of his last stop, hot pizza in hand. Once he was done here he'd be free to go back and start his cooking shift. He wondered if Denim and Alli would be awake when he got home.

A balding, unshaven, middle aged man in an undershirt and sweat pants opened the door. Not that he seemed the sort inclined to smile, but his frown deepened upon seeing Mikey. "You're kidding, right? They know I planned to eat that, don't they?"

Mikey blinked in confusion. "Uh, yeah. Smells good. Hawaiian is always a fun choice."

The man scowled and Mikey's smile dropped a bit. "That's $11.99. I'm here ten minutes early, so..."

He trailed off as the man gingerly lifted up the pizza box as though he planned to disinfect it before eating his late lunch, early dinner or Mikey's favorite, the afternoon pizza snack, whichever it was to him.

The man threw a wad of bills at him before slamming the door in his face. Mikey caught the money as it bounced off his plastron. No tip it seemed. Looking down, he realized he only had a ten and a one. Good thing he was in the habit of picking up spare change whenever he found it. Today's haul should include enough to cover the difference. He was pretty sure the dude wasn't gonna answer if he knocked again to ask for the rest.

His phone rang and his mood brightened a little. It wasn't in his nature to stay down for long. Brooding was Raph's territory.

"Wassup, April?"

"Mikey, you need to get to your parent's place."

His brow furrowed. "Huh, why?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I've just got a feeling that something is wrong."

"Sure. Thanks, April."

He ended the call and rubbed his head. Why would something wrong at his parent's cause April to call him instead of Leo? It wasn't like he...Alli!

Pedestrians scattered in shouts of profanity as he plowed through to get back to the apartment building.

TSOTCTSOTC

Karai burst into the apartment, catching the end of Donnie leaving mother a frantic voicemail as he paced the leaving room.

At her entrance, Donnie nearly dropped his phone, juggling it in the air to keep from losing it. "Karai..."

"Where is she?" She looked around, seeing Arcos in the kitchen with Yuuta on his back, cleaning a stack of dishes. He acknowledged her with a grunt.

Donnie cocked his head to one side, eyeing her thoughtfully. "How did you..."

She spun to him and he staggered back under her glare, despite the fact that he should have been used to it by now. "Where?"

"Your room." He answered, gulping.

She rushed down the hall and threw the door open. Alli and Anton, looked up at her, each cradled against Raph's sides as he sat in one of the kitchen chairs, watching Denim with a worn expression. He didn't pay her noisy entry any mind.

She stepped cautiously up to the bed where her new sister laying, looking as though she were asleep. Karai couldn't see anything but superficial wounds, but Denim hadn't even stirred when the door banged open.

She could sense Donnie enter the room behind her. "Is she ok?" Her voice was unusually soft when she asked.

He let out a long breath. "I don't know. I can't find anything medically wrong, but she's not waking up and I can't get a hold of mom."

Hearing the tremor in Donnie's voice, she turned and pulled him out of the room, leading him to the kitchen.

When they entered, Arcos inclined his head towards the coffee maker, which held a fresh pot. Shoving Donnie into one of the kitchen chairs, she poured them both a cup, placing his down in front of him.

He reached out to grab it automatically. "I'm not a real doctor."

His words caught her off guard, but he didn't appear to be talking to her or anyone as he continued speaking.

"I mean I taught myself about health and medicine when were kids because someone had to, but Sensei was always there with his mystical stuff that never made any sense even if it worked. When mom came into the family, I thought I could be done with it. There's a reason real doctors aren't supposed to treat their close relatives. If she's not ok, it'll be because I couldn't save her and I can't..."

Suppressing a surge of guilt, Karai placed a hand on his shoulder. "It won't be your fault and everything is going to be fine." It had better be.

TSOTCTSOTC

"Sleepover at Leo and Karai's tonight?" Aries handed Zoe a large Cola from the food truck where they waited for their dinner. He fished in his pocket and took out his watch. "I got an hour," he told her.

Zoe accepted the drink, taking a sip and smiling as she shook the cup. "You got me extra ice."

Without waiting for him to respond she pointed to a picnic table at the end of the row. She loved the food truck district. They could eat outside, and both her company and the food were usually great.

She sat down on the least dirty part of the bench with a sigh. "I won't take your whole hour. I promise."

"I don't mind taking the whole hour," he said. He plopped down next to her, rattling the metal bench. "Raph, on the other, he might mind. Especially if he's camping out at Leo and Karai's tonight, too."

"Yeah, I'll bet this meeting has something to do with Karai and April's new campaign for mutant rights," Zoe said while nibbling on the end of her straw.

What she really wanted to say was, 'I don't give a damn about the meeting. I'm mad at my sister and I want to vent.'

Instead she took a long draw off her straw, noting that it was extra cold.

In truth she hated fighting with Karai. She didn't want to be mad at her. It felt like crap whenever they were at odds, and when Zoe felt like crap but couldn't talk to Raph or Karai, because it was one of the two of them making her feel like crap, she called Aries or Arcos.

Family meetings were par for the course. Aries and Arcos laughed in private when either Splinter or Leo announced there was going to be one, mocking the announcer in such a way that Medusa, if she were there, would laugh but fuss at them to stop. He'd done it in front of Raph once, and the ensuing fight made his realize it was not worth it . It didn't stop him from jovially mimicking either one of them, or Raph, behind their backs, however. But he knew this wasn't that.

Aries shook his head, taking a long sip from his own drink. "That's not what's bothering you," he said. "You camp out there all the time when Raph's working and Anton's been hard."

Zoe stared at the food truck, watching the flow of people, mutant and human alike. It was true, she practically lived at Leo and Karai's when Raph worked. The question now was, if Aries noticed did everyone else? "I do."

She squirmed a bit. She'd hoped he'd be hitting on a girl, not actually paying attention to what she was saying. What if he disagreed with her? What if he thought what April and Karai was doing was important? Not that it wasn't, but... If everyone in their family took different stances on this, what would happen to them?

She inhaled deep, telling her muscles to release on her exhale. Maybe she could change the subject, maybe she should. "What'd you order?"

He glanced down at his sister, "Not an order of change the subject," he said. "You get in a fight with Raph over something? That school thing?" He wasn't sure on the details of Anton's suspension, only that it included a torn shirt and a bloody nose that didn't belong to his nephew.

Zoe chewed on her bottom lip. "No, though he did almost burn down the apartment this morning trying to make Anton breakfast." She flashed Aries a melancholy smile. "That kind of put him in a bad mood."

The ram shook his head again, his ears swaying slightly has he did so. "I so don't understand you people." He wasn't entirely sure how they didn't all starve to death, now that Michelangelo was no longer there to feed them. "It's not that hard, the directions are usually on the box." Granted, he had to use many, many boxes, but then, he was good at finding someone more competent than him to cook for him. Especially for breakfast in the morning.

He sucked down some more of his drink and watched a particularly fit middle aged woman walk by. Yeah, she could probably cook nicely, more than just breakfast.

"Hey, I do just fine. Mikey taught me when I first moved into the lair." Zoe noticed Aries attention drifting which was just what she'd been waiting for and let her real troubles rip. "It's Karai. This whole mutant rights thing, the video, the speech. And you know she's already writing another. She's not going to stop. One of us could get killed and she'll just get pissed and fight harder."

Zoe slammed her cup in the table sending a bit sloshing over the side onto her fingers. She licked them off as though she'd dipped them in cream, a soft purr emanating from her chest even though she was quite pissy. If she had a tail it would certainly be flicking.

"I mean I have people hunting me and she knows that, Aries. And I have a son that if they knew existed they'd-" Her breath caught in her throat, the possibilities too dark to contemplate, memories of her own torture sufficing. Her purr came to a halt as the hairs rose on her arms. "They'd-" she tried again but couldn't speak such misery in the same context as her miracle son.

Aries head swiveled back to her as the woman walked out of sight. "Then why'd you send him to school? If you didn't want people knowing about him, keep him home. He doesn't have to go to school, being a mutant. It isn't required for him."

Why did she send him? Should she have? Had she made the wrong decision? "It's complicated, Aries. Donnie was too busy to tutor him anymore. I'm not smart enough to pick up where he left off." She shrugged. "It was more of an opportunity thing for him. And wait just a second, because I'm not out making viral video speeches trying draw the attention of every hater in New York. I'm just trying to send my kid to school. What does one thing have to do with the other?"

"You're angry with Karai because she's bringing attention to the people who don't know Anton exists. Yet, you put him in a building where he's one of, what, twenty mutants out of hundreds of kids? You don't think that is going to put a big ol' beacon on him, saying, 'Here I am!'" Aries waved his hand. "You can't use a tutoring excuse. My mother taught us four languages, do you know how hard it is to speak ancient Greek?" He made a face. "She could have tutored Anton. Splinter could have tutored Anton. All of us could have taken turns, once the kid knows how to read, he doesn't need to be tutored anymore." He continued before she could get a word in. "Karai does crazy shit all the time. She's always done crazy shit. Those of us who don't look like everyone else," he winked at her, "can handle haters. Tiny Yuuta can handle haters. Nah, this is all you, Z."

TSOTCTSOTC

K2 gulped down the rest of the orange juice he was drinking when he heard the knock on the door. _Precisely on time,_ he groused. He opened the door the posh, three bedroom apartment that he, K8, and K76 now shared. It wasn't what he would have picked out, but he wasn't the one doing the picking. When K-Naught had informed him he would be getting a visit, he was glad that their living arrangements were already taken care of. He didn't want to meet in a hotel room.

However, he might have been safer in a hotel room. The mere fact that he was getting a visit at all meant that he had fucked up.

Royally.

Only, he wasn't sure how.

Surely they understood that this kind of operation took time?

An older man, standing erect in a business suit, with steel gray hair, stylishly coiffed stood in the doorway. At the end of the leash he held in his hand sat a Doberman Pincher, still as a statue. "Aren't you going to invite me in?" he asked, his deep voice smooth.

K2 stepped out of the way to allow him and the dog to enter, before closing the door behind him. "K8 and K76 are deployed," he said, trying to sound calmer than he felt, "just as you asked."

The older man glanced at him, pale brown eyes, almost topaz in color blinking slowly. "Did I ask? I don't recall speaking with you."

K2 shook his head. "No," he muttered, licking his lips. "I have the set up scheduled for tomorrow in the morning, as you requested. Seven mutants. In fact, they're waiting there now, to make sure the message gets to her." He gestured to the laptop. "One of them looks like he could seriously use some help, anyway."

The gentleman walked over to the computer, the dog's nails clicking on the wood floor as it followed him, Glancing at the various feeds displayed, he reached down and enlarged the one with a small gathering of mutants, all huddled, still, in a back alley. One of them, a lizard mutant, in a hoody, looked like he was on the loosing end of a car accident between a truck and his face. The man made a grunting noise.

"Is something the matter?" K2 asked.

"He may not live the night," he pointed to the screen. "That one. He had a nasty run in earlier today." He sighed. Turning to K2, he asked, "You still don't know how the location is conveyed to her?"

He shook his head. "We think there must be some sort of internal code, but we haven't been able to detect it." He heard his voice become more frantic, "if you give me more time, I can-"

"I will handle this part of the operation," said the gentleman.

"I don't mean to be rude, sir," K2 went on, "but I don't think she's really worth the trouble. We've been watching and of all them, she's-"

"It is no longer in your hands, soldier."


	37. Chapter 36

Donnie paused and looked up at Karai. She was being nice to him, a sure sign that the situation was bad.

Before he could say anything, the door burst open again and Mikey stumbled in looking around wild-eyed.

"Alli...is Alli hurt?"

For a moment, they all just stared at him. Ultimately, it was Arcos who answered. "She's fine. She's in Karai and Leo's room with Raph and Anton." He hesitated. "Denim..."

Mikey was gone before Arcos could finish.

Looking longingly at his coffee, he stood, leaving it on the table to follow Mikey.

When he returned to Leo and Karai's room, he found his little brother seated next to Denim in the bed with Alli cuddled in his lap.

"How did you know?"

Mikey shrugged. "April called. Said it felt like something was wrong and I needed to get here."

Of course she had.

"What happened?" Mikey sounded so lost.

"She missed her injection." He'd already come to an executive decision on that. Since he had to create a self-administering protocol anyway for his mother's patients, which he admitted was necessary as publicizing the formula hadn't exactly worked out the way he'd hoped, he was going to start having her be in charge of her own meds. That and he was going to equip her with a bunch of medical monitors that he could check from his phone. Chasing her down because she didn't have the time to worry about her own health wasn't working.

"And she was attacked near her work. Some mutant we've never met."

Mikey's eyes widened. "Why?"

Donnie shook his head. "I don't know. Crazy."

Mikey turned back to Denim and stroked her cheek tracing a line down to her bandaged hand.

"She punched through a dumpster."

Mikey patted it gently. "Aww, sorry, Blue Jeans. I hate punching dumpsters. It super hurts."

Donnie frowned. "I didn't say she punched a dumpster, I said that she punched _through_ a dumpster. A hole, clean through solid metal."

Mikey looked up at him, his jaw falling open.

"You didn't break the bathroom sink this morning, did you?"

Mikey ducked his head sheepishly. "Uh, no. Does it matter?"

Donnie clamped his jaw shut, counting to ten in his head before answering in clipped sentences leading up to a full on rant despite his calming techniques. "Yes. Yes, it matters. Mutagen is leaking into her bloodstream and it would have been nice to know that it was causing enhanced strength sooner rather than later!"

Mikey gasped. "She's a superhero now? But why is her hand hurt?"

Donnie face palmed. "I said she's strong, not invulnerable. Just because she _can_ punch through steel doesn't mean she _should_."

"She starts training tomorrow."

They both turned to stare at Karai.

"But..." Donnie started to protest but she cut him off.

"She will wake up and she starts training tomorrow. I know that she's a surgeon with her guns, but that's no good in a close fight. She needs more than the rudimentary unarmed combat and knife wielding skills that the military offered her and she needs to understand and control this new strength. Training starts tomorrow. She'll fit it into her schedule one way or another."

Sucking in a ragged breath as she arched off the bed, Denim began thrashing and clawing as she scrabbled her way back against the wall. "My baby! My baby!"

TSOTCTSOTC

Splinter felt Leo waiting, he'd been there for quite some time. He finished the complicated kata, then stopped, turning to the side and tilting his head. "Yes, my son."

"Sensei," Leo's voice was careful, as it was when he was younger and he'd done something wrong. "I think you'd better see this." He held out his phone.

Splinter took it, seeing that the screen was a video, waiting to be played. He pressed the button.

"It appears that another wave of vigilantism has hit New York City, as five teenagers, all with gang affiliation, were found dead today off Sycamore Lane. The killing style is consistent with The Slingshot vigilante, their wounds including the crimped bullet shells that he uses, and the cuts at various-" He turned the phone off and stared at it, the anger he thought he'd gotten a hold of beginning to grow in his breast again.

"She doesn't have her phone on, Sensei," Leo said.

"Of course she doesn't," he growled. And knowing her, this incident was out of her mind by now. It happened hours ago according to the time stamp on the video. This behavior that his wife displayed on occasion disturbed him deeply, it always had. Not because he did not feel it was unwarranted, he never knew of an instance when she instigated a fight, but because the total lack of remorse she seemed to show afterward. He had fought in wars, he had killed without mercy, he had killed with mercy, and he had let his enemies go free in acts of mercy. But unlike The Phoenix, his killing always haunted him, accusing him in the dark of the night with his daring to play God. His wife, however, had no such qualms. She or her loved ones were in danger of dying, and so those that put her there had to be eliminated. And yet, the same woman who did that, would help any one of those same people if they simply asked.

"Come," he waved for Leo to stand up. "Let us go home. It would appear there is more to discuss than just Karai's impulsiveness at our family gathering tonight."

TSOTCTSOTC

Medusa would have liked, for once, to be picked up at her house, taken in a car to a spot to eat, and let out. Like a real lady. But that seemed to not be her destiny, tonight or any other. She'd met Horace at a park, where he said he had a surprise for dinner for her. He had met her there, and then walked her down streets, much too fancy for either of them to really be walking, and then stopped at the door of La Marque. 

"I got us reservations," he gestured to the building. 

Medusa's face dropped. Either he was a trust fund baby, or he'd saved up a lot to take her here. "Horace, I can't go in there," she said quietly. 

"Why not?" he asked.

"They won't have anywhere to ssseat me," her voice was a mere assibilation. As it was, it looked like she would barely be able to get through the door. _An effective way to have a no mutant policy without having to post it._ If you were too big to get in, you weren't eating there.

Horace grinned. "Don't worry, I reserved three tables on the terrace, so that they can just pull a couple aside when we're seated. I was thinking ahead."

This was going to end badly.

He pushed the door open and she could see the expression of the maître d sour at the sight of Horace. All humans generally struck her as tiny and frail, compared to the delicate, little man at the podium, a full foot and a half shorter than Horace, her date looked positively imposing.

Although Horace wore his usual collection of artistic piercings and elaborate make up, he'd forgone his usual attire for something a bit fancier, which should have been her first clue that the night was headed for disaster. Normally favoring outfits that appeared to be a mashup of punk rock and the 1980's vision of the future, tonight he'd gone more for the vampire aristocrat look, even tying back his long, multi-colored dreds back with a black, silk ribbon, like a pirate lord, as romanticized in early cinema. The maître d was not impressed.

"Reservation for Barden."

Whatever snooty put-down the smaller man had planned died in his throat as he caught sight of her beyond the threshold of the open door. The blood drained from his face and he staggered backwards. "Get away!"

Horace frowned. "This is my date for the evening."

The maître d's eyes widened and he looked back at Horace as though he were insane.

Maybe he was. Medusa had never met anyone quite like the optimistic, little goth. Although thinking that he could bring her to La Marque for a meal was a stretch, even for him.

"Stay back or I'll call the police for assault!" The huffy little man threatened.

Horace cocked his head to one side. "What? We aren't doing anything but requesting to be seated. You can't assault someone by existing."

Medusa let out a hissing sigh. "Apparently we can. He'sss not going to ssseat usss and I'd rather not dine at a place that'sss likely to ssspit in our food. Let'sss go." Without giving him a chance to respond, she turned and slithered away from the building.

TSOTCTSOTC

When Denim gasped to consciousness, at first Raph was relieved, and a collective exhale washed over the room, but when she recoiled against the wall screaming for her baby... Everything snapped to clarity, for him at least.

His first instinct was to fix it somehow, but there was next to nothing he could do beyond hunt down the mutant that hurt her and pound him to within an inch of his life- or end it. What if he tried that insane shit again?

At a loss for a fraction of a second, another thought occurred to him.

Alli and Anton didn't need to see this.

He stood up quick, plucked Alli straight from a gaping Michelangelo's arms and barked at Anton, "Kitchen. Now."

"But-" Anton hesitated, his eyes glued on his hysterical and still-screaming aunt.

"Antonello, kitchen, _now_." Five years of parenting taught him a few things, well reinforced shit he already knew really, like when you need a kid to move quick and they ask questions, you just snatch them up. He put a firm hand on Anton's shoulder guiding him right past Donnie and Karai.

"Uncle Raph," Alli tugged on his shirt, big tears in her eyes.

Raph's heart clenched at the child's fear. "Yeah, kiddo?"

Alli wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him as tight as she could and Raph wanted to make it all right for her as bad as he wanted the shit going on at their school to stop. "Is my mommy gonna be okay?"

He sighed as he parked both kids at the table, where Arcos had Yuuta eating a bowl of ice cream. Raph looked at the triple scoop sundae and shook his head. "Desperate times-"

Arcos stood, then made his way to the cupboard. "I'll get the bowls."

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey's first joyous thought of _'she's awake'_ quickly gave way to an endless loop of _'not ok.'_ Watching her panicked attempt to flee, he barely noticed Alli disappearing from his lap. She was scared. He had to fix it.

"Hey, Blue Jeans, it's Mikey. Shh, you're home and safe." As he spoke he crawled across the bed towards where she was pressing herself against the wall.

Seeming to sense that someone was approaching her, she began to strike out blindly.

"Whoa!" He yelped as years of dodging well-deserved shots from his brothers had him evading the blows reflexively. One just barely grazed his cheek, the force traveling around the punch striking him as it slipped past. Hadn't Donnie said something about her punching a hole in a steel dumpster?

Sucking in a quick breath, he dove forward, agilely twisting his way through the barrage of her attacks to wrap himself around her torso. "It's ok. You're safe now. I promise."

He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the shell-cracking blows to start raining down on him.

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe stood up faster than she could think about what she was doing, something white burning at the edges of her mind even as her eyes filled. "So what, because I _look_ human my life is easier? Is that it? I don't have it as hard as the rest of you? I could never understand? And Anton should never have the opportunity to make friends, or get a formal education outside of our family? I should just keep him locked away, and me along with him? For how long? Please, tell me because it feels like forever."

She didn't give him a chance to respond, instead continuing her rant.

"And what, you think being a parent is easy? I can barely make decisions for myself, let alone Anton! You think making the decision to send him to school was easy? You really think being _me_ is easy? You try being created and conditioned solely to kill, then containing yourself all the time so you don't snap and slaughter everyone in a three block radius. And all the while, I'm trying to be a good example for another living being; then tell me that I've got it easy, because I can _blend_ _in_." She huffed and Aries opened his mouth but she held up a hand stopping him.

There was a tightness in her chest, like someone was crushing her, her mind racing with a dozen questions all of them about who she was, what she was, and what that meant for her son. If she wasn't his mother he'd be able to go to school, beacon or not. Because yes, he'd look different, but no one would actively be hunting his mother and, in turn, him.

A trembling hand flew to her mouth as her eyes rushed hot. "Oh gods, Aries, I'm so sorry." She plopped down next to him, staring bleary-eyed at the puddle of soda beside her drink. "You were trying to tell me exactly what I already know." Her voice dropped. "It's not just because _he's_ a mutant, it's because he's _my_ son."

She rubbed her face as her voice grew hoarse. "I thought I could hide him in plain sight, maybe? I thought he shouldn't have to hide or suffer on account of me? I thought for a second I could get away with letting him do something normal? I don't know. I don't know what I was thinking."

She threw her hands up. "I don't know what the fuck I'm doing half the time when it comes to this shit. I'm the last person on this planet who should be making important decisions for anyone. Hell, everything I know about acting human I was taught by mutants, and I don't know jack shit about being a mother, because before Phoenix I never had one!"

Her breath hitched, as a few droplets slipped by her. She took a few sips of her drink and tried to wash the lump in her throat away.

But it didn't work.

"If I fuck up anything, _anything_ , it puts him at risk. If sending him to school was the wrong decision-" she shook her head and closed her eyes.

Was it? Had she made a terrible mistake? Should she pull him out?

Aries leaned forward, exhaling from his big, round nostrils in a huff as he did, so that Zoe's hair blew. "Don't ever tell her this," he said quietly, his muzzle close to her cheek. "But The Phoenix is a shitty mother." He laughed at the look on Zoe's face. "But Phoebe? She was a really good one. And we were in hiding our whole lives." His golden eyes, with his horizontally slit pupils looked away for a moment, before coming back to his sister. "And I don't know if you noticed, while you were 'blending in'," he made air quote with the two fingers on each hand, "that Arcos, Medusa, and I aren't so easy to hide." 

He leaned back, his face soft, like his white wool. "I had a good childhood, Zoe. Despite everything that happened, it was a good one. Better than a lot of humans get. I'd go back to that life." He nodded, his ears flopping slightly as he did, making the sage look on his face seem out of place. "Living in hiding isn't that bad, you did it before the war." His gaze drifted to another woman, this one barely twenty, who walked by, obviously dressed to go home with someone at La Vida Loca once it opened. "But living out in the open is nice, too," he winked at Zoe once again. "I never said you had to act like a human to be out and about." He laughed outright, a bahhh-ing sound accompanied with a wag of his tail. "I don't. I think I do fine."

Aries's laugh never failed to make her smile and his personal experience gave her plenty to think about. He'd been in hiding and still felt his childhood was a good one. Being out in the open did have its perks, but maybe the only way to keep Anton safe was to hide. The EDF would never let her go. They'd see her either reformed or dead. Two options she couldn't live with. Two options that would hurt Anton worse than a life of hiding.

But something else her brother said had her wondering...

"Is there any of Phoebe left in Phoenix?"

The server, a buxom redhead, dropped their food off, seemingly oblivious to Zoe as she took away their order-number-flag and winked, letting her cleavage hover in Aries line of sight.

One of Aries's ears flapped as he waggled his eye ridges at the server. As she walked away, he picked up a gyro, unwrapping it thoughtfully. "I don't know," he answered. "Nobody even calls her that anymore. Even Splinter does it only occasionally. Maybe." He turned his golden eyes back to Zoe. "Maybe when she's alone with Yuuta? Or doing clinic, by herself. Phoebe was human." His face clouded over, as if he were remembering something very unpleasant. "She wasn't famous. She wasn't some sort of super-person who was expected to heal everything. She hadn't fought in a war. She hadn't seen her daughter hacked to shreds." His long ears pointed backward and he frowned. "Maybe she's in there somewhere. I hope so. For Yuuta. Because Phoebe was pretty cool."

He watched the server exit the truck again to serve another set of customers. He clucked his tongue. "Too bad she's a red head. No offense, Z," he said quickly. "It's just too close to home. I'm not one of Splinter's boys, after all."

Zoe wanted to know more about Phoebe. About what she was like, but Aries was changing the subject. She could bring it up again later if the opportunity presented itself.

She snickered at his poke at redheads, nudging him with her elbow. "That blonde at the table to our left has been staring at you, but it could also be the brunette across from her." Zoe glanced at the women and smiled.

The brunette blushed and bit her lip. Zoe's gaze shifted to the blonde and she read her lips. "Go talk to her, and get his number while you're at it."

"Oh boy," Zoe murmured as the brunette sassed her friend with a 'fine' and stood up. "For fucks sake, Aries, I can't go anywhere with you."

"What?" he asked defensively, a broad smile donning his muzzle as the brunette came to the table. 

She blushed furiously, "Uh, hi." Her eyes darted from Zoe to Aries. "My friend and I," she indicated the blonde at the table, who waved when they both looked her way, "we've seen you around before." 

"Yeah?" Zoe asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Aries leaned forward. 

"I was wondering if you'd like to skip the club tonight," the brunette said to Zoe, her face turning a deeper shade of red. "My apartment is really quiet." She shot a peek at the blonde behind her, "and my friend thinks your boyfriend is really hot."

Zoe's insides heated until a blush spread across her cheeks. "You're a beautiful woman and I'm flattered, but I'm also bonded to my turtle mutant other half."

She motioned to Aries. "As you can see he's not a turtle, therefore not my mate, but he is my brother." Zoe leaned toward the red-faced brunette. "If you're interested, I'm pretty sure he'll take good care of both you and your friend." Zoe stood and clapped her brother hard on the back. "Isn't that right, _Lambs Ear_?"

He shot Zoe a nasty glance at his nickname, but stood up, towering over all of them. He bent down, so his muzzle was closer to the brunette's ear. "You know," he said softly, "I work at the club. I'm busy tonight, but the club has slow times. If you and," he glanced over at the blonde, smiling broadly, "your friend want to hang around, we can...get to know each other. And then I can take good care of both of you tomorrow night." He stuffed the rest of his food in his mouth, took a few bites, and swallowed. "Tonight, though, I gotta work." 

The brunette looked at Zoe longingly for a moment, her cheeks still bright red. 

"Why don't you introduce me," Aries said. "I'm Aries Hamato. And you are...?" He walked away with the woman, putting his arm around her in a camaraderie that neither one of them had enough time to feel. The brunette, however, didn't seem to mind. The ram turned, calling, "See ya after work, Z!"

Zoe waved him off with a knowing grin, to answer her ringing phone. "What's up, Big Guy?"

"Where the hell are you, Zoe? I got to go to work and-" Raph's voice fell to a hush. "Shits going on here. Mom's MIA, Denim got attacked, and just- just get here okay?"

Zoe's mind went blank then rebooted with a thousand questions. "What do you mean Denim was attacked? By who? Is she okay? Is the baby okay? You know what, never mind I'm on my way."

TSOTCTSOTC

Horace watched forlornly as Medusa left. Nothing was going as planned. He turned back to the terrified maître d. "Don't expect a good Yelp review." Then he moved to follow his date out to the curb in front of the restaurant where she'd coiled up, waiting for him.

Disappointed, he dropped down onto the curb beside her. He'd been saving up to make tonight special, hoping to turn their series of dates into a formal relationship. His little specialty shop, while holding its own, wasn't exactly a font of riches. Though he had a few regulars, dedicated to the lifestyle of the gothic occult, his business was mostly kept afloat by angsty tweens looking for ways to rebel against put-upon parents whose allowances were funding his night out.

"Trust me that could have gone a lot worse."

He looked over at Medusa, whose angled eye ridges and upturned mouth corners revealed a smile. Over the past several dates, he'd learned to read the unique facial queues of her expressions, far different from most other people's.

When he'd first seen her, she'd looked like an Old World goddess brought to life and he'd been positively fascinated, but, in the succession of weeks he'd spent courting her since that initial meeting, he'd discovered her sharp wit, intelligence, and pragmatic worldview that he suspected masked a romantic soul. She was a person. One he liked. A lot. And his grand plan to shore up things with her had been completely derailed.

"I suppose. A meteor could have hit us, though I kind of think the restaurant has it coming, or the zombie apocalypse could have started."

Medusa let out a hissing laugh. "Thiss kind of thing happenss. Hard to believe, but you get ussed to people being afraid."

He smiled. "Yeah, I know. Doesn't make it not suck though."

When she cocked her head questioningly at him, he was struck by the realization that she had no idea what he was talking about. It was so ridiculous he almost laughed.

"How would you know?"

He stifled the laughter, knowing that she was actually curious. Taking a breath to consider how to explain, the subject matter dampened his mirth. "Mutants might be the popular new fad for people to have a stick up their butts about, but there are older prejudices. Suffice to say, people would take one look at me and assume I meant them harm. I suppose it didn't help that I was large, even as a teenager." He glanced at her. "Large relative to other humans."

"And they were afraid of you?" The disbelief in her voice was actually kind of refreshing.

"Yup. It got a little easier when I gave up trying to fit in and chose to be true to myself. At least then, people stared for different reasons. Mostly."

She shook her head. "Sstill doessn't make any ssensse."

He smiled. "Pretty sure it's not supposed to."

A thought suddenly occurred to him, one that could save the date. Tonight didn't have to be a total loss after all. He jumped to his feet and gestured for her to follow. "The night is young."

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim's heart rammed against her ribcage like it could burst through and explode. Where was she? Was the baby hurt? What had been done to her since she blacked out? Why couldn't she see anything?

And what was that noise? She could barely hear, between the shrieking and her tsunami of a migraine. Her skull was on fire, but she couldn't stop crying, even though it compounded the horrific pressure. Who was _screaming_?

One thing was for certain, the surface she knelt on was moving, someone or something was inching closer by the second. 

She swiped blindly, just nicking flesh, but not making solid impact. Blind or not, she wouldn't go down without a fight. Her stomach rolled and clenched as his voice repeated itself, his forked tongue flicking in her ear.

 _"I want to see it."_

Over her dead body.

Arms enveloped her torso and she flailed while sobbing.

A familiar scent rushed to her throbbing head as the arms wrapping around her held firm, but did not restrain her. The body against hers clung to her the way Alli would, the way one did when they loved someone and ached for them to feel it too.

"It's ok. You're safe now. I promise."

Mikey.

He lowered his head against her collarbone, talking to her in his sweet, soothing voice. It was a perfect sound that she felt, like the sun's warmth on her face, and she'd never been more relieved to hear it. He repeated it to her, and she wanted him to say it again and again until she could convince herself it was true, that he was real and their baby was unharmed.

"It's ok. You're safe now. I promise."

His plastron rose on his inhale, then sunk on a surrendering exhale. She could feel his intent deep within her, as if he'd put it to words. _"Do your worst. I'm right here and I can take it."_

Then the screaming stopped.

Denim stared into the nothingness that surrounded her, wading through the darkness that brought her to the safety of his arms in that moment. She slumped against him, breaths shuddering, still blind, shivering and exhausted. "Don't let go. Please, don't let go."


	38. Chapter 37

"The night is still young."

"Sssso it issss," Medusa said, following Horace. While he pumped his long legs to what would have been a very quick stride to those around him, Medusa was meandering. "Where are we going?" 

"I'm going to show you my shop," he said. "We'll have a picnic on the balcony of my apartment." 

"You're taking me to your apartment?" Medusa teased. "Aren't you sssupposed to assssk first?" 

He stopped, his cape fluttering with the sudden movement. Turning to her, he asked in a small voice, "Is that alright?" 

She laughed, hissing. "I thought you sssaid it was acrossss town." 

"It is," he said. "We can take the bus-" he was cut off, as he found himself surrounded by snake.

Medusa coiled herself around him, picking the tall man up off of his feet, leaving her arms free. "Which way?" she asked. 

"Uhh," he blinked, trying to take in a deep breath, and finding it hard to do so. "That way," he pointed south. 

What breath he'd managed to catch, escaped him almost immediately as Medusa darted across the street, down an alley and began to scale a building. "The buss iss way too sslow," she said with a wink, coming upon the roof. She then began to catapult over the buildings, chuckling at Horace's high-pitched scream at the first one. "It will probably help not to look down." 

Horace closed his eyes. It was almost as if he was being embraced in a very high wind, he could pretend he was on the ground, yes, wrapped up in a hug from the vision of the cthonic goddess from the nightclub, only she wasn't using her arms, she was using her body. He should be pleased, he thought, but the feeling was far from pleasing. There was no give to her body at all, it was as if he were wrapped up in steel. In fact, breathing was becoming difficult. 

"You have to tell me when to turn," she said. "I sssaid don't look down, not clossse your eyesss." 

He pried his eyes open, his dreadlocks were flapping in his face, some of them having come free from the ribbon. Or maybe he'd lost the ribbon altogether. "That way," he squeaked. 

He felt Medusa shudder and realized she was laughing again. "And you sssay people were afraid of you? This it?" she asked, coming to a stop. 

Horace looked down. "I think so. I've never seen my rooftop before." 

When Medusa began to crawl over the edge of the roof, he closed his eyes again, the going down was worse than the going up or the flying in between. His feet finally hit the ground, and he opened his eyes. Medusa was smiling at him, holding out the silk ribbon he'd put his hair back with. With a glance to the building, he was, indeed, in front of his occult shop. He was quite sure a taxi couldn't have gotten him there faster.

TSOTCTSOTC

Donnie's heart about stopped when he saw Mikey go for Denim. As much as their shells provided impressive natural armor, it meant little to Denim in her current state.

She could break him.

But Mikey was oblivious to personal risk when someone he cared about needed him. He'd always been that way.

And so Donnie waited, hoping the magic that allowed Mikey to save those he loved from themselves didn't choose this moment to fail.

He flinched when Denim nearly took off Mikey's head, but his brother, undeterred, pressed on, plastering himself against her.

Unable to deny the danger, Donnie was poised to move in and stop it before the situation turned irreversible. But Denim's movements slowed and she sagged against

Mikey, whispering. "Don't let go. Please don't let go."

"Never." Mikey answered in a voice too quiet to be his.

Letting out a long, slow breath, Donnie unclenched his hand, allowing the sedative to fall back into his bag. Though he'd taken to carrying it, among a myriad of other things, since Denim's health had gotten complicated, he hesitated to use it, not knowing how it would interact with her current condition, especially in the state she was in.

"Is something wrong with her eyes?" Karai's voice pulled him out of his shock and, from the edge of his vision, he could see her intently observing as Denim clutched onto Mikey for dear life, but not appearing to be seeing him or anything else for that matter.

Retrieving his pen light, he cautiously approached the bed and shined it into her eyes. No pupil response, even now that she was conscious. Not good. For the millionth time, he wished his mother was here.

"She seems to be blind. For the moment."

Mikey tilted his head to look up at him. "What's wrong? She's gonna be OK, right?"

Donnie hung his head. "I don't know."

TSOTCTSOTC

Medusa watched Horace after setting him down. He balanced precariously on wobbly legs and for a moment she wondered if he might puke.

But he managed to pull it together, giving her a shaky grin. "I guess that's one way to avoid the traffic. So this is my shop. I live on the second floor."

She followed his proud gaze to a tiny, two-story building, completely dwarfed by the structures on either side. It looked to be from the pre-war era, as humans used the term, and had seen better days. The lettering over the double glass doors at the front of the shop said 'Beyond the Veil.'

"It has character." She finally decided on, wondering exactly what it was he sold. While he'd mentioned his shop several times before, he'd never actually been specific regarding the merchandise.

He grinned, pulling out his keys. "Yeah, I always thought so too."

Unlocking the doors, he motioned her to follow. She managed comfortably by opening both double doors.

Inside the front walls were lined with racks of varied and highly stylized outfits for men and women in a vast selection of shades of black with periodic dashes of other colors for accent. The walls deeper in held shelves and shelves of books on magic, new age healing, mythology and lots of religions, many of which were not particularly mainstream.

He beckoned her towards the far end of the store. Taking a breath, she very carefully wound her way through the maze of racks and glass showcases featuring, accessories, jewelry, oils, crystals, odd decks of cards, rocks with markings on them and... ingredients? Ingredients for what?

Somehow, she managed to maneuver herself from one end to the other without knocking anything over.

"My apartment is just up this way." He opened a door at the back, labeled 'employees only' which led her to suspect that he was the only person working there.

When he hunched his shoulders to fit into the tiny staircase beyond, she sighed internally. Getting upstairs was going to be a contortion act. She should probably just make her way back outside and find that balcony he mentioned. At least her bones had a lot of flex to them.

Folding herself in as tightly as possible she squished her body into the stairwell and began squirming her way upwards.

He awaited her at the top, frowning as though he'd finally developed some spatial-reasoning skills. "Maybe that's not the best way up for you."

 _Ya think?_ "In the future, I'll look for an external entrance to your place."

Horace brightened at the mention of future visits. "Well this is it? What do you think?"

She examined his one-room living space. It was long and narrow. With two, worn chairs and an ancient floor lamp close to the stairs. A couple TV trays rested against the wall in lieu of a table. Beyond that was a small kitchenette with a stove and sink lining one side, surrounded by cupboards and drawers facing off with an antiquated fridge beside what looked to be a makeshift combination of cutting board and counter space. Further in there was a closed off space that was likely a bathroom, with room for only a toilet and shower, assuming you weren't too concerned about having to fit a normal-sized human in there with them. Finally, there were a pair of French doors that led to what she could only assume was the balcony he'd referenced before.

The whole apartment looked furnished in the same fashion as her own home from back before mutants went public and, due to the size constraints of the place, everything needed to be small. Inside it, Horace looked like an adult in one of those miniaturized versions of the grown-up world that were specifically designed for kids. He must have put all his money into his shop.

"Where do you sleep?"

He made his way over to the left wall. "It's hard to show without moving the chairs out of the way, but right here." He gave the wall a little tug and she realized that it was actually a Murphy bed, built into the wall.

"You haven't seen the best part yet."

Trying not to dampen his excitement, she once again worked her way through the too small space to the French doors, which, now that she was closer, were clearly not original to the building and looked to have been scavenged from someone else's leavings. Even old and a little cracked, they were still pretty, though she couldn't imagine how they kept the cold out in the winter.

He opened the doors out to an old, metal balcony with a tiny set of fancy, iron-wrought table and chairs that had no chance of accommodating her.

Looking out from the balcony, though, she understood what he was talking about. Just across the street was a small park, empty for the evening and dimly lit in the street lights. A few simple benches along a stone path surrounded a beautiful fountain of innately carved marble, featuring what she assumed to be several characters from Greek mythology. The glow of the streetlights made the spray of water droplets off the fountain sparkle, giving the park an otherworldly feel.

"This is my favorite place." He smiled at her, seeming pleased to share it.

Giving the balcony chairs another glance, noticing they had once been painted white but it had mostly peeled or worn away, she answered. "I think it might look better from the roof."

He looked up with a dubious expression.

"Don't worry. I can help you up and back down."

He pasted a smile back on his face. "S-s-sure. But first, dinner."

She watched him reenter the apartment and open the fridge, just now realizing that a couple of the fridge shelves had been pulled out and were leaning against the side of the appliance.

Reaching in, he pulled out a pot almost larger that his torso. From the looks of it, the contents appeared to be some kind of everything-soup, though it smelled appetizing, even cold.

"Ssshould I asssk?"

He hefted it onto the stove and turned the burner on low. Given the size of the pot, this might take a while.

He turned back to her, excitedly rubbing his hands together. "It's Creole gumbo stew, a family recipe that I can guarantee is the best. I usually make a lot of it and eat it for a week. This is from yesterday, so I haven't divided it up into zip lock baggies to freeze it in. For myself, I'll usually microwave a bowl at a time, but for warming up the pot, the trick is to heat it slowly."

She arched an eye ridge. "The whole pot?"

He shrugged as he dug through some cupboards to pull out a smaller pot and a bag of rice. "Well you did say that human-sized meals were more like snacks for you."

She coiled up, almost completely filling the balcony. "Ssso thisss isss a family recipe. I didn't picture you as the cooking type."

He ran his hand over his dreds sheepishly. "Well, it's sort of a tradition. My family is from New Orleans, well not me and my dad, we were born and raised here, but my grandparents came from there and this is something they've made for generations. The pot is actually from them. I can remember them teaching me as a kid. I guess when my dad was little, the whole block would get together and bring the ingredients and my grandparents made it for the entire neighborhood. I suppose people don't really do that anymore. It's best fresh made, but that takes some time to do it right."

Longer than reheating it? She preferred her food more on the immediate side, but it seemed important to him. "Ssso it remindsss you of your grandparentsss?"

He nodded with a lopsided smile as he started the rice cooking. "Yup. Bon appetite."

She hissed out a laugh. "And now you speak French?"

His smile slipped a little. "No. Just a few words here and there. My grandparents did. I kind of wish I'd learned more from them when I had the chance. You know, it was my gran that sparked my interest in the occult? When all the other grown-ups were teaching their kids about all that stuff that's not really real. My gran would tell me about ghosts and magic, not stories, but the real thing. She knew there's more out there than people think and so I've always tried see the world in all its possibilities, not just the version most people limit themselves to."

"Je vas t'apprendre a parler francais," Medusa said with a quirk of her mouth, "si tu le veux."

Horace blinked. "You speak French?"

"I can teach you to ssspeak it, if you like," she repeated herself.

"How do you know French?" His face burst in to a smile, "Are you Creole?"

She shook her head, "My mother is French Canadian," she said. Then she added, "Sort of. My husband's...people...had a lot of Haitian in them."

"Do you speak Creole, too?" he asked quickly. "I hear that Haitian is similar to Louisiana."

"No, just Canadian French. But I can understand it, for the most part, if the person speaks slowly."

He came back around from the stove, his dark eyes curious. "Was your husband a mutant?"

Medusa was silent for a long time, so that Horace thought she might not answer the question, before she said, "Yes, he was a human who was turned into an anole mutant. His name was Razz."

"Did he take good care of you?" Horace asked gently.

She blinked. _Take good care of me?_ The thought seemed foreign to her, like he was speaking gibberish. "I sssuppose ssso," she shrugged. The idea of him taking 'good care' of her never occurred to her. It wasn't as if she had men lining up to be with her. In fact, Since Razz's death, Horace had been the first person to do anything more than speak to her after attempting an introduction. She wasn't even sure she knew what that meant. "Maybe," she replied.

He drew his eyebrows together, and she instantly knew that was the wrong answer.

"Do you do Voodoo ?" she asked, the tip of her tail thumping ever so slightly on the balcony floor.

This time, it took him a moment to answer. "I own an occult store," he said.

She laughed hissily. The problem with scaring people, was that they tended not to answer questions honestly. "My mother had a...boyfriend once, that did Voodoo," she explained, trying to make him feel at ease. "A mutant. I don't know what he did, exactly. I know it had sssomething to do with dice and chickensss."

He smiled and ran his fingers through his dreds. "I can't say I get much call for dice among my practicing customers, though there is a lot of variation among how the faith is practiced, but chickens can be used in offerings to the Loa that prefer them. I'm guessing this guy was Haitian?"

She nodded. "Doesss that make a difference?"

He grinned. "Haitian Vodou and Lousiana Voodoo are definitely not the same and neither of which should be confused with Hoodoo."

She raised an eye ridge, trying to decide whether or not he was pulling her tail. "And you sssell them chickensss?"

He laughed. "I can't imagine trying to stock live poultry, but I do sell chicken feet. They make great protection charms."

Her tail flicked slowly back and forth behind her. "You didn't answer my question."

He looked thoughtfully at the pot of gumbo as he stirred it. "I believe in it and I respect it. Louisiana's Voodoo was the faith of my grandparents, but I don't practice it myself. I feel the same about a lot of belief systems and haven't really committed to a specific one. Hope that doesn't make me seem fickle." He watched her out of the edge of his vision, trying to gauge her reaction.

Medusa shook her head. "Non," she answered, "that doesssn't ssseem fickle." She stretched inside the apartment a little, most of her body still on the balcony. "I wasssn't raisssed with a faith. And I am demon in mossst of them, anyway."

Her black eyes glued onto him, like he was a prized meal and she was ready to strike and feed.

TSOTCTSOTC

 _"I want to see it."_ His words were stuck in Denim's head like an itch she couldn't scratch. Then there were her cries and screams, but her lips weren't moving. Somewhere amid that noise, she was clinging to Mikey's promise that she was safe, which his arms assured her of, though he no longer spoke it. In the confusion of that mess, there was the pulsing of blood running through her skull, but she could also hear Karai and Donnie, and their words _were_ spoken. 

A snapping sensation tingled through her, bringing her tears to a halt. Her insides were washed over and twisted like she'd been wrung out. But her mind fell blank, her skin almost numb where Mikey touched her. Her eyes were open, blinking, but she saw nothing.

Still clinging to Mikey as if he might evaporate she mumbled, "Migraine."

Donnie's head snapped up as he heard Denim's muttered explanation." A migraine could be responsible for her vision problem although he'd never read of a particular instance in which eye functionality was so totally lost. But it was something to go on, which was more than he had before.

"Is that's what's wrong? If you fix her migraine, everything will be good again?" Mikey sounded so earnest, he couldn't help but cringe.

"You don't exactly fix migraines..." Well mother might be able to if she were here.

"But you can do something, right D?"

Focusing on all pertinent data, he recalled that Denim had suffered from migraines since her war injury. It had come up during the police brutality incident, though his mind shied away from the memory. Although the footage had been necessary to protect her, Mikey and Raph, watching it had made him physically ill. But if it was a preexisting condition, she should be prepared for it.

"She has medication for her migraines, right? Is it in your apartment? Karai can go get it."

"Excuse me?" Karai shot him a furious glance, before looking back at Denim and

Mikey. Through gritted teeth, she added. "I can get it."

Mikey looked to be concentrating really hard. "I think all that stuff ended up in the bathroom. The box isn't unpacked yet and she hasn't needed it in a while. What if there's not enough?" He looked back and forth between them, waiting eagerly for a solution he never doubted they'd produce.

Donnie drummed his fingers on the night stand as he ran through the possibilities. "If Karai thinks it's low, she can call it in and April will pick it up on the way over."

Karai sent him another scowl and stomped out of the room.

Mikey stroked Denim's hair in long, soothing motions. "Can't we do anything now?"

Donnie considered everything he knew about migraines. He'd researched them once, thinking he might have been afflicted with the problem, but later deduced that his headaches were a combination of stress and caffeine withdrawal.

Acupuncture was said to be effective, though he had neither the equipment nor the expertise to attempt such a treatment. Systematically tensing and relaxing muscle groups was also thought to help, but Denim didn't seem quite coherent enough to follow instructions. There were some other common knowledge fall backs.

"She should stay in a dark room..." as if it would matter, given her blindness "...and I can get her a cool compress for her head. Otherwise, she'll need rest and quiet."

No sooner were the words out if his mouth, than the door banged open and Zoe's voice rang through the apartment. "Is Denim OK? What happened?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Horace immediately froze as some primal, mammalian instinct rooted him with irrational panic.

Then Medusa broke off the stare, shaking her head with a dry, hissy laugh as she looked back out over the balcony.

Free again and shaky, he worked to piece back together his train of thought from before she'd made her point. His brain seemed slow to respond in the wake of his relief. What were they talking about again?

He cleared his throat, hoping not to sound hoarse in his response. "Well, maybe in the few really popular religions, but that's not universally the case. In history, mythology and some of the less well-known faiths, serpents are symbols of creation, rebirth, the cycle of life, wisdom and healing. It's not an accident that snakes appear in important symbols like the caduceus and ouroboros." He offered what he hoped was a reassuring grin, but, still a little thrown by his earlier panic attack, he couldn't tell what it looked like to her.

Medusa felt sorry for Horace, somewhere deep down, under the hard exterior she threw at him. He was trying so hard. She knew she wasn't making it easy for him, but he needed to know she wasn't easy. She'd discovered very early on in her life that her form made the reaction of those around her more on edge. So much so, that getting off of her mother's arm had been quite an ordeal. When she was wrapped around Phoebe, warm and safe, people did not act so frightened of her. As she'd grown, and grown, and grown some more, the scary factor had increased exponentially. If Horace thought people were frightened of him because of the clothes he wore, or what his shop sold, wait until he was associated with her. 

If there ever was a point when he was 'associated' with her. "And what do you think?" She smiled back at him, oh, he was trying so hard. "What are snakes to you?"

Horace gave the question some thought. "Well, I think that those concepts are really important to our identity as people and snakes are useful imagery in understanding those aspects of ourselves. But, though pretty cool creatures, I'm fairly sure actual snakes could care less what philosophical ideas people attach to them."

Medusa tilted her head up. "And me?"

His smile broadened. "I think that you're a person. Unique and amazing and one I would really like to know."

He leaned casually back on the edge of his homemade countertop next to the fridge, but the duct tape-reinforced, plywood supports were unequal to the task of holding him up. The makeshift legs under the side closest to the fridge snapped, sending him flailing for balance as he frantically struggled to catch the collection of items sliding into the fridge, bouncing or rolling off the collision towards the floor.

In a blur, Medusa was at the counter, or her upper half was, anyway, catching things as they slid, but with so many small items, she and Horace were only able to catch a few. As little bits of kitchenware rolled on the floor, Medusa laughed, Horace having been wedged between the fallen counter and Medusa. She laughed, wrapped her body slowly around him, and lifted him bodily in the air, to move him to the other side of the counter.

Horace expected her to feel hard again, like the steel she'd become when he'd zipped with her through the city. But instead, her muscles seemed to have a lot of give this time, as if she were cradling him. She set him down, then released him, her scales shining in the low light as she moved. "Good answer."

Leaning into her loosened coils, he joined her laughter, fine clouds of whatever spice had opened and dumped on him drifting up into the air as he moved. Resting a hand on her smooth scales, he met her gaze, expression earnest. "I meant it. I really do..."

His words were cut short by her ringing phone.

She let out a long hiss at the interruption, reaching up into the short, loose sleeve of her shimmery, black blouse to where the phone buzzed and chimed against her side, held in place by the strong but durable harness that Aries had fashioned for her to serve as the next best thing to pockets.

"Yesss."

"Since you haven't stopped by, I figured no one remembered to call and tell you." Arcos's gruff voice filled the speaker.

"I got Leo'sss messsage about the family meeting. Raph and Ariesss won't be out of work for hourssss."

"A crazy mutant attacked Denim earlier. She's safe now, but not exactly OK. Donnie's done what he can, but..."

"Attacked? When? Ssshouldn't Mama be able to help?" She had to will herself to relax her grip on the phone lest she break it.

"She's out doing clinic and not answering her phone."

"I'll be over ssssoon." She ended to call and looked back at Horace who watched her with a sad smile. "I..."

He shook his head. "It's OK. I get how important family is."

She nodded.

He gestured to the broken counter and surrounding mess. "I should probably break out the spare scrap wood and duct tape and take care of this."

She started back towards the balcony.

"Hey, maybe you could call when you get the chance and we can reschedule? Then I can make you a fresh pot of gumbo. It's best when it's first made." His smile turned hopeful.

"Sssounds good."

Then she was gone.

He sighed, looking around at the mess in the empty apartment. With a snap, he turned the stove off and moved the still-cool pot back to fridge.

Things ended up still casual anyway. So much for a grand romantic gesture. He'd kind of envisioned it going down more like it did in the books and movies. Maybe next time.


	39. Chapter 38

Zoe threw open the front door so hard it bounced against the wall. She hadn't meant to, but that didn't stop her from slamming it shut. "Is Denim ok? What happened?" She headed straight toward the kitchen as she scanned the living room and found no one. "Hello? Somebody?"

Raph stomped into view, crossed his arms over his La Vida Loca uniform and glared at her. "Where the shell have you been? I thought you were going to the grocery store and picking up Anton?"

Antonello peeked around his father, his mouth notably outlined in chocolate. "You fightin'?"

Raph and Zoe stared at one another. "No." They answered in unison.

Raph inhaled deep then frowned. "You get the groceries?" He leaned toward her. "Or dinner for the rest of us?"

Zoe rolled her eyes. "What happened to Denim? Where is she? And what'd you mean that Mom is MIA?"

"Denim's in my room," Karai grumped on her way to the front door, "and you might want to keep it down, she has a migraine. They could hear you all the way in Dimension X you're so damn loud."

The hairs on Zoe's neck rose as her eyes tracked Karai's every move. "You're one to talk. You can't seem to keep your mouth shut no matter who it puts at risk."

Karai and Zoe glared at one another.

Raph's gaze shifted back and forth between them, but it was Anton who spoke up. "Why's everybody fightin'?"

Alli appeared in the kitchen entry beside Anton, licking the back of a spoon. "You should eat some ice cream. It makes it all better. I'm going to give some to mommy when she stops having a meltdown."

Everyone looked to Alli then down the hall to Karai's bedroom door.

"I don't have time for your sssshit, Zoe." Karai hissed, a telltale sign she was about to lose her temper. Not that Zoe cared if she did. Half of her wanted a good scrap with her sister, while the other half would rather find out what was going on down the hall to see if she could help... Well maybe it was more like a quarter, because a nap seemed like a great option too.

"Well then you better take care of whatever it is that's so important." Raph motioned Karai toward the door with his eyes.

Karai sneered at him, then glanced at the kids before slinking out the front door, closing it quietly but firmly behind her.

"Anton, you and Alli go help Uncle Arcos and Yuuta clean up the kitchen." Raph tipped his head, imploring his son to move.

"Aw man, I wanted to watch the fight," Anton whined, his carapace looming just over his shoulders as he motioned to Alli. "C'mon, they never let me hear the good stuff. They ain't gonna let you neither."

"We ain't fightin',"

"We aren't fighting." Raph and Zoe insisted, even as Raph stepped forward, grabbing Zoe by her arm.

Alli, wide-eyed, with chocolate syrup in her hair, on her forehead, cheek and hands, licked her spoon and shrugged. "Ice cream makes everything better. You and Aunt Zoe should try it, Uncle Raph."

Zoe smiled at the girl who, though she looked like her mother, was becoming more like Mikey every day. _Just goes to show how much influence a parent has, whether they share the same genes or not._

Zoe pulled against Raph's grasp, intending to check on Denim but he didn't budge, and after years of experience she knew her efforts were futile.

"Not that way," he stated, taking a step in the opposite direction.

"Wait, where are we going? I wanted to check on Denim," she protested as

Raph steered her onto the balcony.

"Donnie's got that. I want to know where you been?" He refuted, slamming the balcony door shut, and blocking it with his body. One eye ridge popped up as he pinned her with an angry glare. "What's going on with you and Karai? And where you been all day?"

Before she could answer he threw his hands in the air. "You realize that Denim got attacked in broad daylight and you, you've got people actually _hunting_ you and you think you can just lie to me and I won't find out? What do you think this is? A joke? You of all people can't be fucking around right now, Z."

A breeze wafted over the balcony and Raph snorted, his jaw working as he chewed on his words, debating them for another second before he let them out. "Why do you smell like my brother?"

Zoe stared at him, taking too long in her reply, which only provoked him more. Yet his voice dropped, something akin to doubt flickering in his eyes. He looked past her, then his gaze fell to the slats in the railing. "You know you could spend time with any of my brothers. Mikey, Leo, Donnie, even Arcos. But why Aries? Why the one who sticks it to every girl he meets? Huh? And why'd you lie about it?"

Raph worked himself up, his nostrils flaring as his hands opened and closed in fists at his sides, his mind creating fantasies that fed his temper. Fantasies Zoe couldn't care less about. She leaned against the railing, examining her nails. Silent throughout his rant.

When he stood out of breath and in her face she lifted her gaze to meet his. "You about done?"

His eyes widened then shrank. "Is something going on you need to tell me about? Huh?"

Zoe just looked at him.

Long seconds passed before she finally spoke.

"I'm not even sure how to respond to-" she pointed a finger toward him, "all that. It's offensive. I'm pretty disgusted with everything you just implied." She pushed off the rail, stood as tall as she could at her tiny five feet and two inches then took a step right into his plastron. "You're going to get out of my way," she demanded, though her face was in his shirt.

"Zoe-"

"No, Raphael. Just. No. No. No. Fuck no. You don't get to stand there and call me a liar, complain that you're jealous of your brother, imply that there's anything between us, and be so damn narrow minded and," she leaned her body back enough to look up in his eyes, but did not give a step, "think so little of me."

His expression softened then hardened again. "Well you did lie. It looks bad. You were missing and said groceries but I don't see any! Then you show up smelling like Aries and he's a ram-whore so-"

Zoe closed her eyes and shook her head. "You're going to want to stop talking now, Raphael. And you're going to want to move, like I asked."

Raph stiffened. "You didn't ask. You ordered. Why'd you lie?"

Zoe's palms itched. A few quick taps, maybe he'd get in a block, but he'd go left if she faked it, then she could finish on her right. He'd be down for at least thirty. She pulled her phone from her pocket, checking the time. "If you don't get out of my way, you're going to be late for work."

"We gotta talk about this." Raph shifted his weight, pressing his plastron against her to throw her off balance. "You can't just leave. Look what happened to Denim!"

Zoe rose up on her toes, shoving her face in his. "I can't look at her, Raph. I never had the chance. You've been jumping my shit since I got here. You started asking questions that you never let me answer, then you started making accusations!"

Eyes locked on one another her blood was boiling, but her heart aching. How could he think... She frowned, as moist heat burned her eyes. "How could you, Raphael? It's like you don't know me at all."

He looked away, exhaling loud. "I don't know. You did lie, and you smell like him, and you two are so close, and he's always sleeping around."

Zoe snorted. "Raph, that doesn't mean I am. And he's my brother too. Remember _your_ family is all the family I have." She pointed towards the balcony doors. "You should know I have lunch with Arcos every now and then, and Mikey when he's on break sometimes. I take Donnie lunch when he's glued to a computer and April can't. Shit, Raphael, I ate tacos with Leo last week and had dinner with Splinter the last time Phoenix was at clinic. So what the hell if I had dinner with Aries?"

She lifted a hand to his cheek, guiding it closer so she could kiss it. As she lifted her lips from his scarred and pebbled flesh her hands flew over his torso with flawless accuracy, dropping him to his knees in a second.

She looked down at his twitching form. "Now, I want you to think about how you talked to me."

She nodded as he let out a pained grunt. "I expect an apology. And you're going to be late now, so you'll want to call Aries so he'll cover for you, which he will, because he's a nice guy and a good brother who would never do what you've implied of him. Not to you. And he deserves better. Oh, and I'm not going to make it to the meeting because you've pissed me off. I'll see you," she shrugged, "tomorrow around lunch. Oh look, that means I eat lunch with you too, bet that really pisses someone off. Wait, that'd be you. But," she sighed, "a girls gotta eat."

She stepped over him, putting a hand on the doorknob before looking back one last time. "Get your mind right because we need to talk about Anton, Denim, Mom, and Karai, not waste time being jealous over nothing. I love you with all my heart, Raphael, you saved me from myself more times than I can count, but I swear sometimes you act like we're still teenagers." She leaned over, fishing his phone out of his pocket to dial Aries. Then she placed it on his plastron and left.

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo opened the door for his sensei, and they entered a seemingly empty house. But both of them felt the presence of the others around them, and both turned simultaneously toward the open balcony door. Moving the curtains aside, they found Raph twitching on the balcony floor, his phone at his side.

Leo bent down to help him up, and Splinter let out a slow breath. "I see you refused to move out of Zoe's way when she wished to enter the apartment."

With the not-so-subtle hint at what happened to his brother, Leo began releasing pressure points, so that Raph was able to stand on his own with no help, his scowl deep. "I'm gonna be late for work," he muttered, all but shoving past his father and brother back into the house.

"This isn't good," Leo moaned. "Why do all the women in his family have to be so unreasonable?"

Splinter did not answer him as they entered the living room again. Yuuta jumped off of Arcos' shoulders, and ran to his father, arms outstretched. Splinter scooped him up and clutched him to his chest, resting his lips on the boy's head. "Your mother isn't here?" he asked, knowing the answer.

Yuuta shook his head and Arcos said, "She went out to clinic. I can try to follow her scent, but she left hours ago."

"You probably would lose it," Leo replied. "Have you seen the news?"

The bear shook his head. "She met up with someone unsavory, huh?"

"Several someones," Leo said. "How's Denim?"

The bear gestured toward the hallway as the door opened once more, and Medusa slithered in. "Denim wassss attacked?"

"You smell like cocoa butter," Arcos said.

Medusa glared at him, while Splinter shook his head and Leo shrugged.

"I'm going to go try and follow Mama," Arcos sighed. "I'll be back for the family meeting."

Medusa hissed. " _Family meeting_ ," she echoed, her voice clearly showing what she thought of the idea.

"We have much to discuss," Splinter's voice was harsh. He felt Yuuta cling to him a little tighter.

"I'm going to sssee Denim," Medusa said, coiling in on herself and then slithering down the hall to Karai and Leo's bedroom.

TSOTCTSOTC

April trudged up the steps to the family apartment, it always seemed too busy with everyone to call it anything more specific, wishing that the building had an elevator intended for general use.

Leo insisted that the stairs were an excellent opportunity for conditioning and she got that. Still it would be nice to have the option on exhausting days.

And she was drained. Today had been spent working on their campaign's social media infrastructure, placating Donnie's increasingly impatient clients and moving heaps of equipment from the basement to the van for transport to the warehouse so Donnie could start large scale production of the pregnancy stabilizing meds. And she still needed to review Karai's speech and start creating group templates for people to establish AFE chapters outside of New York.

Granted, the vast majority of mutants resided locally but there was still enough diaspora to scatter mutant populations across the US and internationally. Some of those exposed to mutagen had been unlucky visitors to the Big Apple or had opted to relocate back to networks of family support. That and you didn't need to be a mutant to have empathy.

It really didn't help that she'd been generally edgy all day, and more specifically edgy when she felt that Mikey had some kind of emergency, though she could hazard a guess as to what that was connected to. Something dangerous was going on, but that vague awareness didn't help her to do anything about it.

Her meeting with Karai hadn't allayed any if her concerns either. But she knew better than to press when Karai felt backed into a corner. It usually ended with Karai making dangerously bad choices. Or at least more dangerous than usual. Well, now that she'd given Karai the chance to fess up, she could covertly investigate without guilt. Donnie would get the answers they needed.

April paused in surprise as she met Arcos on his way down. "Did I get the meeting time wrong?"

He shook his head. "No. I have to find my mother. She's out on clinic and not responding."

"And something's wrong with Denim?" She guessed.

He sighed. "Something like that. One of your hunches?"

She smiled. "Something like that."

"Don't suppose you have any suggestions on where to look? It might save me some time."

She concentrated for a moment, but this aspect of her power was a lot less obedient to her will. "Somewhere...familiar."

"Very helpful." Arcos rolled his eyes before moving past her.

She shook her head. It didn't work like that. Life would be a hell of a lot easier if she could know whatever she wanted on command.

So mom was out again. As usual, the Phoenix always raised mix feelings in her. Though sometimes she felt a little traitorous for calling someone else mom, it was good to have that role in her life filled once more. There'd always been a hole left in her from the loss of her own and the Phoenix helped to fill that. And it was nice to have someone else who knew what it was to be half-Kraang.

But mom had some dark places in her, created by her accumulated losses and hardships as she'd crossed one line after another to keep her family safe and alive. With her own gift, April couldn't help getting a taste of that sometimes and it scared her. Given the path her life had taken, she did not scare easily.

Pushing open the unlocked apartment door, she found Leo, tired and staring into space as he sat on the couch. Beyond him, she could hear the children and her Sensei in the kitchen.

Leo straightened when he saw her and started to speak, but she knew where it was going and held up a hand to stop him. "In the interest of not having to repeat ourselves, let's save it for the family meeting."

He frowned. "But..."

She put her hands on her hips and interrupted him. "In all the time you've known me, when confronted with injustice have I ever just looked away and pretended I didn't see it?"

He managed a tired smile. "No. You seem reasonable, but you're as stubborn as the rest."

She grinned. "Good, then we're on the same page and you can quit acting like this is a huge surprise. We'll address the details at the meeting. For now, how's Denim?"

Leo's smile fell away. "Donnie said she was attacked outside her work. An unknown mutant tried to cut her open. He failed, but she still seems to be having complications

from the pregnancy. Mikey and Medusa are with her now."

April nodded thoughtfully. "Missed another shot?"

Leo sighed. "I think so."

She started down the hallway towards Leo and Karai's room, where Denim usually ended up whenever there was a crisis, but instinct drew her away to Sensei and Phoenix's room.

As she pushed open the door to the darkened room an indistinct shape started to rise, muttering apologies in Donnie's voice.

"It's just me."

He let out a relieved breath and leaned back against the wall to slide down to the floor where he'd started out.

She plopped down beside him. "Rough day?"

He nodded.

"Want to talk about it?"

He shook his head.

She reached up and drew his upper body down, resting his head in her lap. Gently, running a hand across his head and shell, tracing the grooves with her fingernails, she hummed a song they'd both enjoyed as kids.

He wasn't one to be comforted by false assurances or platitudes, but she could at least offer this and hope that it was enough.

TSOTCTSOTC

The day was mostly gone and faded into night by the time that Sappho finished her run in the park. Before that she'd spent hours at a local gym, working through countless core exercises to banish the last if her convalescence, as she had for the past few days.

Her limbs were mechanical and didn't require any physical maintenance, but the muscles of her torso, that held it all together, were fully human and had atrophied some while she healed. She had still been in better shape than most people would ever achieve, but it hadn't been enough. It still wasn't. Not for what she planned to do.

Seeing a fire escape in a nearby alley as she headed back to the apartment that K2 had secured, she decided her work out wasn't done yet. She stepped into the alley and took a running leap to launch herself off a dumpster onto the lowest level of the fire escape, quickly scaling the structure to the top.

If anyone asked, unlikely, she would say that she was a parkour enthusiast. And if her handlers asked, more likely, she'd tell them that she was training to face their targets on the turf they would choose if they ever gained control of the situation.

While she constantly had a set of prepared explanations and excuses for her behavior to sate the curiosity of the general populace. This was the first time she found herself preparing lies for her employers.

Employers? Might as well be honest. They owned her. She was their tool. Their weapon. And for the first time in the life that she could recall, that truth ate at her.

Before she'd always been so good at not thinking about it. But this mission, the one that had started out as a simple Kraang Legacy acquisition, had changed everything.

She'd never really wanted anything before, an empty shell drifting from one mission to next. However, when she'd seen the escaped hybrid, living free with a lover and a family, that first spike of envy had shattered the lie she'd cloaked herself in. She wanted that.

And the desire had only grown stronger, particularly after meeting Arcos. It colored her perception and threw into question everything she thought that she knew about herself and her existence. It eclipsed everything.

Even now, as she leapt across New York's close-set rooftops, she had to make a conscious effort to avoid Arcos's new home, or what she'd deduced it to be through her probably less than healthy awareness and scrutiny of him.

But she had to tread carefully. Drawing attention to him or giving the slightest hint of her thoughts regarding him would be a devastating misstep, the consequences of which she didn't care to contemplate.

Despite the danger, she didn't regret discovering him. As tight as the EDF's noose was around her throat, she now felt like she had some small measure of control over the direction of her life, like waking up from a nightmare. No matter how this ended for her, probably badly, she'd always be grateful for that. And she would protect him and his family.

Stepping up her pace, she pushed closer to her limits, knowing that for this to have even the slimmest chance of success, she would need to be at the pinnacle of her physical prowess. That and the element of surprise were all she had.

With a preset ambush and only three full warriors present with vulnerable persons to protect, the odds were badly against them. With Denim apparently ill and the children, Allison and Antonello, to defend, Zoe, Raphael and Michelangelo would have their work cut out for them, even if the circumstances wouldn't deprive them of their primary weapons.

They'd likely have hidden backups, but she couldn't see it being enough.

But perhaps she could make the difference, if she struck at just the right moment. It wasn't wise to betray the EDF without planning to give oneself the best possible edge. Well, it wasn't wise to betray the EDF at all. But not maximizing her advantage would be career, and literal, suicide. It might be anyway. Even if she was able to take K2, there was still K76 to contend with.

But she didn't care. If this was a mistake, and even if she failed she didn't believe it was, it was hers to make. Because she wasn't just a weapon anymore. This was her life now and, from this point forward, she would live, and die, as she chose.

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe stood in the center of the lair clutching the long favored red blanket to her chest. It was never that Raph meant to give her the darn thing, after all it was his favorite too. Her attachment to it was more because he'd made it, and it smelled of him, no matter how many times she'd washed it. Not that she wanted his scent to go away, that was part of why it was so comforting and familiar. The silly red cover, patched in various places and worn thin, was a part of their life together and their little family of three each clambered for it when they piled on the couch for a movie, _and_ when they were tired, sick, injured... or sad.

She'd stopped by their apartment, grabbed a backpack and shoved a few essentials inside, the blanket, a jar of Nutella, a pint of strawberries from the fridge, and a bottle of water. Only the strawberries got a little squished and the juice had bled onto the blanket. Good thing strawberry juice was red, it wouldn't leave a stain.

Examining the small red blotch she deemed it removable and made her way to Raph's room. The lair itself was without power since they no longer lived there, but that was the first thing she'd done when she arrived. Cut the feed on Donnie's security cameras and flip the switch on the power. Only she hadn't anticipated everything to echo as loud as it did, and the noises, from each footstep, to anything she touched, down to her breaths flittered around the room then repeated itself.

Only when each sound befell her ears she felt it in her heart. Or perhaps it was all the sounds she'd enjoyed when they were all living together that were missing, from Mikey's pranks, to Donnie's explosions, to Raph's tantrums. She could recall the smells, the good ones, of April and Mikey cooking, or the bad, of Leo and Karai's failed attempt at it. Then there were the visuals, Arcos painting, Leo reading a graphic novel- _Space Heroes_? Medusa and her poetry, or Aries getting busted watching porn.

Zoe snickered at the latter. Sure he liked women, but how could anyone blame him? A wan smile crossed her lips. If she hadn't fallen for Raph first she might have a fling with a lady herself. That brunette from earlier had been cute. The corners of her mouth fell as she pulled the blanket closer, breathing in deep.

There was a third and fourth scent there in the fibers, besides the strawberry juice and Raph's distinct cedar-leather blend... Honeysuckle and another... She closed her eyes, inhaling until her lungs could hold no more, her heart skipping beats as her stomach dipped and rallied... The fourth fragrance was a blend of a unique scent that did not have a name, with hints of leather and soap. Antonello.

Her lip trembled as she clutched the fabric, the ache in her heart as complex as every situation she'd ever found herself in. And her life had been packed full of complicated scenarios.

She stopped outside Raph's door, looking out over the lair below. They'd stood in that kitchen, scared shitless of telling his father he was going to be a grandparent. They were just kids themselves. If she knew then what she did now, her life might've been very different... She could still hear Phoenix and Splinter's voices, clear as if they were standing there…

 _"It's not a bad thing, Splinter" Phoenix's voice broke through the awful tension that was hanging in the air between the two teenagers and he._

_He turned slowly toward her, the look on his face saying more than words ever could that, "You are not a part of this conversation."_

 _She didn't seem to 'hear' him, though, as she fully entered the kitchen, dumping her bag on the floor with a thud._

_"What are you doing here?" Raph asked, his mouth hanging open. The last thing he needed right now was her.  
_

 _She gave him a curt look, "What do you mean what am I doing here?" She sniffed disdainfully. "I'm always here, you're just normally asleep." She turned to Splinter, a smug smile on her face._

_The rat's muzzle had suddenly gone from angry to neutral.  
_

 _Zoe pressed herself against Raph's side, his solidity giving her comfort in this strange situation. She wasn't sure exactly what The Phoenix's status was in the Hamato family. When Zoe had arrived with them, she had thought the older woman lived there, but then she'd be gone for long lengths of time. Zoe found out later she was performing 'clinic', travelling the city to find mutants to doctor up. But occasionally, one of her children would stop by and ask if she were at the Lair, as she wasn't "at home". When she asked Raph where she lived, his reply was "The Back Up Burrow." Despite, that, however, she acted, and was treated, like the lady of the house, and Zoe had seen her in the Lair much past 'bed time' on more than one occasion. Had Raph not noticed that? She tightened her grip on his hand, and he returned the gesture, not letting up on the pressure.  
_

 _"This is..." Splinter's voice trailed off, his gaze going to Raph and Zoe again. "Unexpected."  
_

 _"Unexpected?" Phoenix came up beside him. "What did you think they were doing in there? Not sleeping?"  
_

 _He frowned.  
_

 _Zoe felt Raph sway slightly, as if he were fighting his body not to run.  
_

 _The room was silent for a long time, and Raph was glad that the fight now seemed to be between Sensei and Phoenix. What exactly it was about, he wasn't sure.  
_

 _Zoe suppressed a gasp, as she figured it out.  
_

 _Splinter turned to look at her, but Phoenix kept her eyes on the rat, silently willing him to look her direction again. He glanced at her, then back to Raph and Zoe. "This is unexpected," he repeated again. "But it is not a bad thing. The question becomes," he continued, "how we will handle it."  
_

 _Phoenix smiled, "The same we always do," she said. "Together."  
_

 _Splinter regarded her, silence once again filling the room. "I will send the boys to The Back Up Burrow to bring your things tomorrow," he said quietly.  
_

 _Raph shook his head. "I think she's got time before she needs to move in," he said quickly. "The baby's not coming tomorrow."_

_Zoe stepped on his foot, hard, and in full view of everyone.  
_

 _Splinter looked at his son as if he'd grown a second head, and Phoenix laughed. She shooed them away, "You have sleep to get," she said. "You won't be getting any shortly, I guarantee it."_

_Raph let Zoe lead him away, and while relief filled every fiber of his being, he whispered, "I don't get it."_

Zoe frowned. Her life might be different without Raph, but not necessarily better. When Splinter appointed Raphael her sensei he knew that she would be the ultimate test of his son's patience, and his limits. But he did not know how it would turn out. He couldn't have known that his son would not only rise to the challenge but surpass it and create a family of his own.

She reached out to touch the doorknob and was struck with a memory that wasn't actually with Raph, but his brother, it had been the first time she truly realized they all understood her, not just Raph.

 _Donatello reached a hand out toward Zoe's wrist, "May I? I just want to check your heart rate before you eat anything. I don't want you to get sick."_

 _Zoe nodded absently, not really paying attention as he wrapped his fingers around her wrist. She sank to the floor and tried to slow her breathing, still thinking about Raph, at the same time struggling with a hangover. What she should've been doing was preparing for a sparring match with Donatello. She looked at the purple clad brother. "Donnie, what makes you think I'm going to be sick?"_

 _His amber eyes widened and his Adams apple began to bob. "Uh- I'm just, we just, I just-"_

 _Zoe raised her eyebrows. "Go on-"_

 _He sighed. "We look out for each other, Zoe. It's who we are. And sometimes," his eyes darted nervously from her wrist to her face and back, "you don't remember to eat."_

 _It was as if she'd just been thrown off a cliff and hit the bottom, and at the bottom all of her bizarre beginnings crashing into her, yet again. She looked at the floor, barely registering her own voice. "They fed us on a schedule."_

 _He nodded. "I know. It's okay. I'm just trying to help."_

 _Her cheeks flushed. If she didn't know when to eat and he'd noticed, what other strange things did she do that she didn't know about? Feeling them tremble, she pressed her lips together as an unexpected heat rushed to her eyes and spilled over. "I'm a freak, Donnie."_

 _Donatello's head turned and a knowing smile spread across his face. "Zoe, look around you. Look who you're talking to." He shook his head. "At least you can believe it when I tell you, I know exactly how you feel." He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, gave it a gentle squeeze, then picked up a bottle of water and a protein bar. "Eat this, and drink this one, it has electrolytes in it. And don't worry about fitting in. You'll adjust, and we will help you."_

He and his family had taught her how humans behaved, without mocking her, not once. Well except for the time she got upset at the poor fight choreography in an action movie. To this day Michelangelo would tease her whenever they had family movie night.

When was the last time they'd had family movie night?

She sighed, pushed the door open and stepped into Raph's old room, _their_ old room. Anton's old crib rested in one corner, occupying the space where Raph's punching bag had been. Several of the mismatched knobs had fallen off his dresser and he'd piled them on top of it, but it was otherwise profoundly empty. A thick layer of dust coated the sparse furnishings and the back of her throat tickled.

She'd have to clean. No one should live in such dirty conditions, even if their home was a sewer.

Zoe cleaned Raph's room from top to bottom, changing out dusty bed-sheets for slightly less dusty sheets. Then she cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen. Each room summoned a slew of memories, from laughter, to tears, messes, mayhem and mishaps.

For all its flaws, because it _was_ stuffy in the summer and freezing in the winter, it smelled year round, it was dark, and damp... It had been the family that filled it that made the lair home. It was when she at last flopped down on his bed, wrapped in his blanket, just dozing off her thoughts beginning to wander and realization took root…

Raph had become her sensei in the dojo downstairs.

Mikey taught her to cook in the kitchen, downstairs.

Donnie had tended her wounds in the lab, downstairs.

Leo had taught her humility in the center of the lair in front of everyone, more than once.

April and Karai had become her sisters there, and later Medusa had joined them.

And Arcos and Aries had become her confidant's when she needed objective male opinions that weren't Raph because her thoughts were about Raph… and those relationships had all been founded right there.

She'd learned what it meant to play 'human' and that it was okay to be different, right there in that very place.

She learned what it was like to have a family, to be a member of one and what exactly that entailed… that she had learned and was still learning…

She'd fallen in love there…

Antonello had been conceived there…

His grandfather and grandmere had learned he was on his way in that very place…

Aries words filled her head… _"Nah, this is all you, Z."_

They'd been happiest there.

They'd been safest there.

The lair was home.

She sat up, tired, hair disheveled and a bit grimy as she grabbed her phone to check the time. 2:45 AM. She could still make it.


	40. Chapter 39

Raph and Aries trudged up the stairs, both of them scowling. Their night had been fine, when they hadn't had to interact with each other. Something was on the turtle's mind. Aries had assumed it was the fact that he'd had to call in late, but as the night progressed, that was obviously not it. He had an issue with the ram, specifically.

"What's your problem?" he'd finally ground out during a lull in their bouncer duties. 

"Nothin'," Raph growled. "Just stay out of my face." He stomped away. 

"I was never in your face!" Aries called after him. 

So walking up the stairs in silence seemed the best decision for both of them. 

Opening the door, everyone was gathered in the living room, except for the kids and The Phoenix. Relief washed over Raph's face when he saw Zoe, and Aries suddenly felt a little compassion for him. He'd obviously fought with her before work. But it only lasted a moment. 

"Everyone's here," Karai snapped, "Let's get this over with." 

"Everyone isn't here," Leo replied. 

"She's isn't coming," Karai answered. "I'm tired. I want to get to bed." She looked to Splinter. 

"Mama isn't here?" Aries whispered to Arcos in French. 

The bear shook his head. "Off at clinic." He'd managed to follow her scent until he reached a crime scene that was obviously her handiwork. She'd been arrested for loitering umpteen times, but never for what society would have truly wanted her arrested for. After being unable to get past the police line, and getting a few suspicious glares from some officers, he headed back to the apartment. 

"Since you are so eager to go to bed," Splinter said with an edge to his voice. "Why don't you tell everyone why we're here?" He glared at Donnie and April. "The two of you can fill in any gaps that Karai leaves."

Almost before he finished speaking April crossed her arms over her chest and stepped forward.

"If this meeting is going to start with assigning blame, it might as well be aimed at the right target. This was my idea. I'm the one who brought it to Karai and Donnie had no part in it. He only found out about it yesterday and had the courtesy to allow us to tell everyone ourselves, an opportunity which the news unfortunately stole. If the whole point of this meeting is to come down on someone for this, then I'll accept responsibility, but I'm not backing down either. This is a battle worth fighting."

Denim was grateful that her vision was returning in her right eye, even if she were only seeing blurry colors rather than details. It was a good sign that her meds were helping. Still she was largely dependent on Michelangelo, and her other senses at the moment.

He'd offered to let her sleep while he attended the meeting just down the hall, but what little rest she'd managed had been largely fitful. Between recollections of her attacker's voice and touch, paired with her _hopefully_ temporary blindness, she wanted one hand on Mikey at all times. For some reason just telling herself she was fine, and that it was over, wasn't cutting it this time. She'd been caught unarmed and compromised. That could never happen again.

As she curled up to Mikey on the couch, listening to what sounded like a nasty start to a family meeting, she debated whether or not to speak up. But she had no idea what Splinter and April were referring to.

 _Well what the hell, maybe I'm not the only one._ She raised her hand. "Uh, sorry to interrupt, but, what is going on?"

"Yeah," Arcos added, his grizzly voice tired. "I would like to know what's going on, too."

Medusa, who lay curled up next to him, darted her tongue out and nodding her head. "It'sss not like it usssed to be," she complained. "It takesss a lot of effort to have a family meeting at 3 in the morning. I'd like to know why you dragged usss all out of bed." Her dark eyes rested on Splinter.

The rat steadily returned her gaze. "I called all of us, even those who are not present, here because I feel we are in danger."

"We aren't in danger," Karai cut him off before he could continue.

 _Liar._

Karai swallowed hard, but whether it was from the intensity of her father's gaze, now fully focused on her, or from the desperate need to will her statement true when she knew otherwise, she wasn't sure.

 _Tell them. Handle it together._

She wanted to. Badly. But she needed to find a way to fix the mess she'd created before revealing the extent of the damage.

 _Father is not Shredder. Mistakes won't cost you his love. Or Leo's. You've nothing to prove by doing this alone._

But some damage ran too deep. She couldn't just forget or ignore the fifteen most formative years of her life. Even knowing that it was probably a bad decision, she wasn't able to deviate from her present course.

Out if the corner of her vision, she could see April studying her and immediately slammed a lid on the storm of her emotions, slipping into the mental role of spokesperson, which she'd created for the campaign. She didn't often use this deceptive aspect of her kunoichi skill set, but she'd been well trained in it and with such perceptive family members, it still proved useful now and then.

"Since you have now declared yourself the arbiter in what is and is not safe for everyone, why don't you tell them what they are not in any danger from."

Her father's biting tone set her teeth on edge. As often as they found themselves at odds, she hated fighting with him. Being angry with her father always seemed to make him smell like food, a reaction that was still profoundly disturbing to her, though she had it under control. Mostly.

Blatantly ignoring her father, she focused in on the rest of her family.

"You've likely noticed the increased presence of the AFH lately and for anyone that hasn't, I'll remind you that they planted a spy in our dojo who attacked Zoe a few weeks ago. They aren't illegal, but a completely legit organization. One whose lobbying is gaining major ground with both public perception and lawmakers. And they aren't just blocking access to rights mutants deserve and don't have. They intend to take back all the ground we've already gained and won't be content until we're back to pre-war status. It's not impossible. This kind of thing has happened before in history across the world and sitting back and expecting people to be rationale and just hasn't ever worked. Unless someone stands against them, they _will_ win.

"And maybe that's fine for us. We can return to hiding. We're good at disappearing and surviving. But there are plenty of other innocent mutants and those that care about them who won't be able to protect themselves when this storm hits. We can't abandon them to their fate. So April and I have started a counter movement to resist the AFH's influence. Because this is a battle that needs to be fought and we are both capable and willing."

As she spoke the last few words of her declaration, April had pulled out a tablet and begin typing into it. She knew it sounded more like she was giving a speech than explaining the situation, but that was the price of the persona she'd slipped into to cover her inner turmoil. Who knew, maybe she'd actually sway opinion in her favor. Protecting the helpless and innocent had always been a major motivation of their clan.

April turned the tablet outward to face everyone and played the news clip covering her first speech. They would all know exactly what she and April and been up to now.

As the video of Karai's speech finished Zoe released an invisible field of energy that she seldom tapped into, and often suppressed. Only recently, with many hours of meditation practice and Master Splinter's guidance, had she gained enough control over her empathic abilities to read others without touching them. Still, there were twelve family members packed in the living room and her bond with Raph amplified by his own conflicted feelings, kept her from getting a clear read on anyone. But one thing was certain.

This was a house divided.

Personally, her situation wasn't exactly the same as anyone else's. Not even Raph's. Well not entirely. Yes he was a parent, unlike anyone else in the room except for Splinter, Mikey, and Denim. But the EDF wasn't after them. They wanted her. Which simplified what she had to say, and her decision. It was a matter of what _needed_ to be done to protect Anton, what she _wanted_ did not matter.

The room was silent, many eyes meeting, looking away, varied opinions not yet spoken, but brewing, as everyone in a rare act of genuine thought before action, formed their words carefully.

Leo spoke first. "This will be another war. You know that, right?"

"We know. But there's an army out there ready to fight this battle with us. We just have to call on them." Karai pointed toward the balcony. "We can do this, we should do this and I for one will." She looked him in the eye. "But we'll be stronger together."

Zoe could feel Raph staring at her, but refused to look at him for the moment. She couldn't let him influence her. She wouldn't. But she would speak up. "It's easy for you to say 'let's fight' all the time, Karai. You're not a parent. Master Splinter has eleven children, three grandchildren, and another on the way. That's a lot to worry over. You can't think that every fight we go into we're _all_ always going to make it out? Huh? What price are you willing to pay to get what you want? What, with someone's life? With the life of one of ours?" Zoe's heart pounded as she stood and motioned toward the hall.

"Zoe-" Raph called to her, his voice lower than usual.

"No, Raph," she said, keeping her eyes on Karai, "Some lives are too precious to risk and I for one am done. I'm sick of fighting. Every other day it's a struggle. Just trying to live the life of a human, something I'm not, and never will be, it's exhausting and I'm done!"

Karai opened her mouth but a strong little voice came from behind her. "Don't say it, Mom."

Everyone turned to see Antonello, with Franklin dangling from his three-fingered hand, frowning at her.

"Don't say what you're thinkin'. It's not what I want, it won't end good, and stuff-". He swallowed hard, sounded too grown for five, and looked so much like his father as he scratched the back of his head with his Franklin that Zoe's heart truly hurt. "Running away ain't gonna fix it like you think it will. And it's not what I want."

Anton approached Master Splinter, his Aunt stepping out of his way to let him through. "Sofu, I _want_ to go to school. If I don't, other mutant kids and kids with mutant moms and dads they'll get picked on, like Alli did. It ain't right, and we always do what's right. Sofu, what Aunt April and Karai want to do is right. I know it from my dreams, I know it from my heart, and even if she's scared right now, I know my mom knows it too."

Zoe's eyes welled as Raph reached for her hand and she jerked it away.

Why did it have to be them?

 _Protect him._

Why was her child telling her what was right?

 _Hide him._

Anton stepped around his grandfather to put his arms around her waist. Zoe dropped to her knees, to squeeze him tight, doing everything she could to fight back the lump in her throat. "Anton, I just don't want this life for you. You are far too young."

He pulled back, looked her in the eye. "No younger than you were when you went on your first mission."

Heads snapped up around the room. Everyone had been diligent about keeping the darkest moments of their lives from the children and Zoe's foundation was particularly heinous.

She gasped as if she'd been hit and forgot to block. "How could you know that?" She licked her lips, swallowing bile. "You couldn't possibly know that, Antonello."

Anton's eyes were bright and wet with tears.

She staggered back, knowing what he was going to say, and sick because she couldn't stop it. She couldn't shield him from his growing ability, the part of her that transferred to him and would bring such filth to his life. Unable to hear it she turned to bolt but ran smack into Raph's plastron. An impenetrable wall of turtle bodies surrounded either side of him.

"Let her through," Medusa hissed, her voice filled with vitriol. "If the precious thing wants to run away, let her run away." She uncoiled herself, and even next to her brothers, huge in their own right, she looked too large for the space. "It's so hard to pretend that she's a human, let her go off and pretend to be not be human somewhere else."

"Medusa," April began.

The boa mutant twisted where she sat, her black eyes resting on the red head. "Don't you dare." Her tongue flicked out quickly. "It is easy for the two of you to go off and campaign for mutant rights, that we're people just like everyone else. But we aren't, no matter how much you want us to be." Aries put his hand on her body, though she made no move that she acknowledged it. "You can't equalize us. I can't fit in to half the indoor places of this city. All of us, together, don't make enough money to feed me for week. You think though that after this war, that we could all just come out of our hiding places, and everything would be fine! It wasn't fine, it isn't fine!"

"Then," she twisted her body back around, facing Zoe, who still stood with her back to her, her face almost touching Raph's plastron, but not quite, "you come and spout this drivel. You have lost nothing!"

"Medusa!" Aires voice was shocked.

"No," she flicked her tongue again. "I'm tired of everyone feeling sorry for themselves. Let's see who can have the biggest pity party."

"This isn't about us feeling sorry for ourselves," Leo said firmly. "It's about us sticking together."

"Only with whom you choose," Medusa replied. "Sure, you'll try to stop _her_ ," she nodded toward Zoe, "or Karai, or April, but you wouldn't try to stop one of us."

There was a moment of silence as no responded.

"I'm tired of pretending we're this one, big happy family." Her voice was low, "The three tag-a-longs," she indicated her two brothers, "don't warrant being stopped when they leave. Because they're not really part of all of this, are they?"

"You're here," Mikey said, his voice plaintive. "You're our sister."

"But it stops there." She hissed outright, "Maybe you forgot, in your little speech about losing people, that _I_ lost my husband in the stupid war that did nothing but kill people!"

"Aww, 'Duse," Aries muttered.

"Enough!" Splinter demanded.

She twisted on him, craning over the couch to get closer to him. "You're as bad as they are, oh wait." She hissed, long and slow, "they get it from you! None of them know what is like to lose, something, and you know it."

Splinter's fur began to rise on his neck, fluffing him out, the frown on his face deepening. "My mother was the one who lost a mutant child to a murderer. We're the ones who saw our sister torn to shreds, and then had to bury her under the asphalt in a parking lot. I am the one who lost the man I chose to live the rest of my life with, because people like you," she glanced at Karai, then April, "decided to put other people's lives in your hands."

"That's enough, Medusa," Splinter said, the edge to his voice taut.

"Where's your wife, Splinter?" Arcos asked.

Again the room was silent.

"Maybe she isn't here, because you didn't try to go and get her when you first new she was on clinic and you decided to call us all here in the middle of the night."

"The lot of you wouldn't have stopped her from leaving, either, would you?" Medsua began to move toward the door. "Because your precious family doesn't include who you're stuck with. It only includes who choose." With Arcos at her side, she made to skirt the turtles standing in front Zoe, "Let her run away. It's something she's good at, after all."

Zoe exhaled in a huff, turning her back on Raph to meet Medusa with an even stare. "You're absolutely right, Medusa. I haven't lost anyone, not in my life _with_ this family, but I lost a hell of a lot _before_ it. See that's what I have to lose. Everything. _Everything_. I don't ever want to go back to being a possession again, and I sure as hell don't want that for Antonello. So you can call it whatever you want. As long as he's safe I really don't give a damn."

Zoe's gaze shifted from her serpent sister to Anton's wide pleading eyes then back. "But you're wrong about something too. I'd come for you. And I'd go after Arcos or Aries. Hell, I didn't know mom was missing until this afternoon, and as far as I knew she was at clinic, which is normal for her."

Zoe could find no anger for her serpent sister's words. She knew what she was considering was cowardice. It's just her options weren't great, and her odds worse.

Her voice fell as she continued, "Just because I'm prepared to hide and keep Anton safe until Karai and April are done fighting the next war, it doesn't mean I don't love or want to be a part of this family. I just can't lose my son, I can't risk him. And with videos like that," Zoe motioned to the tablet. "It's only a matter it time before they find me. So if I stay my choice becomes, who do I fight first?"

Zoe motioned to herself. "I was made in a lab that sees me as their property. I'm a thing. The laws that protect mutants do not cover hybrids. If I stay to fight this, or even if I just stay present and supportive for it, I'm a goner and so is Anton. In court, should the EDF be so kind as to go that route, I would be awarded to them like a pet. And my son, my son, would be collateral. So what do you propose, Medusa? Hmm? Who do I fight? Everyone? Are we going to take down the EDF and the AFH? Because that's the only way I'm still here when it's all said and done, and that's not by my choice."

"Every word you just spat out is a load of shit," Medusa brought her face close to Zoe's. The small woman didn't move, she stood straight, her arms at her side, her mate at her back. The snake's words were quick and breathy. "'In court, the EDF is gonna take me,'" Medusa sang. "No, they won't. They wouldn't, and they can't. And you know why?" 

"No, Medusa," Zoe said, her lips barely moving. "Enlighten me." 

"Because you're precious little special self _is_ human. You look like a human. You act like a human. You smell like a human. Your DNA is based on a human. Any court, anywhere, would see you as a human being, grant you the rights and rewards of being a human. You want to be set apart, to be made special, so that everyone here," she waved her hand at those present, "will rally around you. Every court in the land will see you as the human being you are. You don't _want_ to be one. Well, you know what, being a mutant, _ssssuckssss._ People don't move out of your way, because they're afraid you're going to hurt them. Or eat them," she flicked her tongue. "People don't deny you a job, that can't pay to feed you anyway, because of the way you look. People don't throw things at you, don't call you nasty names, don't tell you to go back to the pet store where you came from." She reared up, and Raph shifted, his body in a fighting pose. "You see?" she laughed, a mirthless, angry sound. "Even the people who are supposed to be your family aren't afraid of you. The EDF is hunting you because what they're doing is illegal, and they know they can't win it in a legal battle, or a lawyer would have already shown up at your door. How do I know?" She lowered herself, "Because lawyers have already shown up at mine. And last I looked, I didn't come from a pet store." 

She whipped her tail tip and slithered to the front door.

Zoe closed her eyes, doing everything she could to suppress the low growl rumbling in her chest. "Medusa, lest you forget what the EDF made me do. What they will make me do?"

She opened her eyes and looked at her son. "Anton, go to Sofu's room, _now_."

"Zoe, don't-" Raph began, but something about Zoe's expression and the scene unfolding before him had Anton backing down the hall.

She turned to Medusa once more. "First of all why are you making your way for the door? It was me that's running, remember? And second, I'm not trying to compete for worst personal history. Yes, you've lost the most, and yes I've been made to do terrible things, but you're still my sister. No, we're not the same. Yes, it's harder for mutants. And I look human, but I'm not. If you want to hold that against me, fine."

As Zoe took another step for Medusa, Raph mimicked her motion, and muscles coiled throughout the room ready to spring.

Zoe swallowed her shame, the past that would follow her throughout her life, one she couldn't run from forever and she knew it. Her shoulders slumped as her gaze dropped to the floor between them, her voice falling to a whisper. "I haven't forgotten your past. It just seems like it because I'm running from mine. I'm being selfish, Dusa. I know it. But the truth is I'm scared."

She looked in Medusa's black eyes. "If the EDF used me to kill my own twin they'll have no qualms about using me to kill anyone else I love. And that's something I can't live with."

Then Mikey was there, an arm around each of them, catching his sisters in an awkward group hug.

"Please stop."

He turned his wide, glassy eyes towards Zoe. "Don't go. If we're all together, we'll find a way somehow. But the worst things happen when some goes off on their own. Please don't go."

He nestled his head into Medusa's stiff side, sniffling. "I'm so sorry, sis. I didn't mean to make you feel like you weren't my sister. You guys are the best big sister and brothers ever. I always wanted a mom and more sibs, so when we found you it was like super-Christmas. I should've told you. And I'm here, but you guys were superheroes and can do anything, and I never thought about you needing help, but I can do better. I'll notice when you need me, even if you don't ask. I promise."

His voice dropped to a whisper. "Please don't go. I can do better. Anything. I'll even stop leaving leftover peanut butter sandwiches in the couch."

"That'sss you?" Karai hissed.

He kept going as though he hadn't heard. "Tell me what to do and I'll do it. I'll be the best brother ever. I swear. Just please don't leave"

"Mikey, that'sss not the point." Medusa hissed.

He frowned, his gaze shifting back and forth between his siblings. "We're a family. We can get through anything as long as we're together. We always do." He set his big watery blue eyes on Zoe. "Say you'll stay."

Mikey wasn't someone Zoe had ever said no to. And if it weren't for Anton she would've never considered leaving in the first place. Not only was her son a factor, but it was her son who wanted her to stand up for what was right, and he wanted to do so as well.

Maybe they weren't doing such a bad job raising him after all. Which meant she should keep doing what she had to do, the right thing, even if the stakes were the highest they'd ever been. Even if it terrified her so badly she'd admitted it to everyone. There was no room for pride when there was so much to lose...

Her gaze shifted from her brother's pleading eyes, to where Denim sat curled up on the couch, her eyes closed, though she was upright and clearly awake. One of her hands rested protectively on her small bump, her head tilted toward Mikey as if she'd pinpointed him in the room.

If anyone deserved everything he ever wanted it was Michelangelo, and for him the stakes were every bit as high as hers. He'd almost lost both his love and his baby just hours ago and yet there he was begging her, his stupid, selfish, coward of a sister, not to leave. Did his selflessness know no bounds? Or was he just too optimistic and childish to understand what he'd almost lost?

Mikey blinked back the tears welling in his eyes. He was tired, she could tell from the wobbly smile pasted on his face, to the way his energy waned where it would usually gust. Of course he knew. Because he was Mikey. He held enough sunshine and goodness to warm the artic. He was perceptive, and hopeful, courageous and bright.

If he could face the darkest perils of their lives with a smile on his face, how dare her consider anything else but to stand with him.

Zoe hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry, I even considered it."

Behind her Raph let out a sigh of relief. "Well it's good to know my little brother can still talk some sense into ya. But that don't solve the problem either. I say there should be a vote." He pointed to Karai and April. "This thing you two started, it affects all of us."

Medusa turned her head to glance at Arcos, still at her side. "What are we voting about?" he asked.

"Whether this..." Raph searched for the words, " _thing_ is worth doing."

"It'sss already done," Karai said, her voice highly irritated. "There is no worth doing."

"Karai's right," Leo said, moving aside now that Zoe was no longer in imminent danger of ditching. "It's already done, and _it_ is worth doing."

"It won't _do_ anything," Arcos argued. "All it will do is bring attention to the plight of mutants."

"That's the point," April said.

"But it won't change it," Medusa explained. "You think they're going to all of a sudden start making toilets big enough for him?" she gestured to Aries.

"Hey," he said. "I rule at the urinal."

"Ewww," Donnie drawled.

"You only say that because you don't," Aries winked.

"That's not what we're voting on!" Raph shouted.

"What are we voting on?" Mikey asked, his arms still around both Zoe and Medusa.

Leo stepped over to rest a hand on Mikey's shell. "Since Karai and April have already started this, publicly, and likely won't stop..."

Karai crossed her arms over her chest, eyes green in partial transformation. "We aren't here asssking for permissssssion. We're here because thisss isss going to effect everyone'sss livesss and we owe you an explanation."

Leo shook his head and sighed. "...so, we're voting on whether or not we want to help with what they're doing. No one should feel obligated."

"I knew everyone would be upset that we acted unilaterally, we kind of thought you'd be yelling at us, not each other." April added with a sad smile.

Raph glared at her. "If you knew we were gonna be pissed off, why'd you go off on your own and start this war in the first place?"

April's lips compressed into a thin line. "We didn't start anything, except maybe an intra-family domestic dispute. The war has been going on for a some time and we just joined in. I don't know if anyone has noticed, but the AFH has been at this for a while now, moving very slowly and insidiously and is only recently picking up momentum with their agenda. I know it's easy to dismiss as people being their usual jerk-selves, but it's...there's more to it. It's hard to describe, but there's something sinister about what they're doing.

"Battle lines have already been drawn and people are choosing sides. Opinions are polarizing. I know that what I've started has exposed us to danger and that right now, some of us are very vulnerable. It keeps me awake at night.

"But I'm more afraid of the future where the AFH wins. I don't think they're content just blocking progress. They want to reclassify anyone 'not human enough' by their definition as mindless beasts or monsters that need to be caged or exterminated. There won't be any veil of disbelief to protect mutants from being hunted this time. And, as we've already seen with Denim, any human siding with mutants will be viewed as a traitor to be made an example of. I'm sorry that I brought all of this down on you, but I couldn't let that future come to pass without doing something to avert it. If you don't want to get involved, I completely understand."

Mikey was to Denim's right, she could smell him, pizza and the oil he used on his nunchucks. She'd listened to his family's verbal assault of one another, each of them with a respectable argument. He'd been holding her close, sensing the tension rising, his grip on her hand growing tighter than he realized. Then Zoe spoke of leaving and Medusa told her to go. He was on his feet in seconds, left her side with the grace of a butterfly, so light and smooth she'd barely shifted.

It had all come to a head, he'd spoken his pleas and she'd hurt for him, knew he spoke from his heart and he'd had a long day already. Rest was a fleeting thing. One she wanted to give to him. When his family spoke of a vote on whether or not each member would support April and Karai's venture, April had given a speech that made valid points.

Only Denim had something else searing the edges of her ebbing migraine, distorting her slow-to-return blurry vision.

Her attacker was still out there.

" _I want to see it."_

Her stomach dipped and jerked into a knot. Her baby wasn't an 'it'. And no one, _no one_ else would get so close to endangering him or her ever again.

" _I want to see it."_

She'd fight, blind or not. There was no way she was the only one attacked. And as long as that creep was out there he could hurt anyone. He might get farther with someone else than he had with her. _Thank you, Donatello._

April's voice speaking her name summoned her from her nightmare. "And, as we've already seen with Denim, any human siding with mutants will be viewed as a traitor to be made an example of. I'm sorry that I brought all of this down on you, but I couldn't let that future come to pass without doing something to avert it. If you don't want to get involved, I completely understand."

 _I'm tired of being used to make an example of. It's happened at two jobs now, it's been the police, it's been the judicial system, it's been the public, it's been psychotic strangers, and now Alli was getting a taste of the hate at school. It's never ending and I'm over it. It's time for change, and not the kind that has me on the wrong end of a knife._

"I'm in. Blind or not, it doesn't matter. I'll do whatever I have to so that our family and others like us can live in peace." She could just make out the outline of April to her left. "Maybe it won't be our generation or the one after us, but someday we'll get there. Until that happens, we have to be the pioneers. Put me to work."

April opened her mouth to speak but Denim held up a hand.

"There's just one more thing. I hope you'll understand, but some asshole out there threatened me and this baby today, and I draw the line at my kids. So, as soon as I can see, he dies."

Mikey's arm snaked around her neck and he kissed her cheek. "Aww, Blue Jeans, if you're in I'm in. But uh, you're talking to Donnie," he guided Denim's head to the right. "April's over there."

She groaned, slumping against Mikey. "Well that's going to make hunting that guy down a lot harder."


	41. Chapter 40

"So now it's a vendetta." Arcos rolled his eyes. 

"There is _no_ vendetta," Splinter's voice cut through the room like a knife through butter. "We will find who did this, and he will see justice." He looked at each individual in the room, his eyes sliding from one person to the next. "But there will be no revenge. Have I made myself clear?" 

There were a series of mumbled "Yeses."

After a moment of quiet, April exhaled loudly. "That leaves you Aries," she said. "And Master Splinter."

Aries shook his head, and April's shoulders dropped in response. "They haven't said yet," he pointed to Arcos and Medusa. "That's kinda where we get the tagalong idea."

"They said no," Karai hissed.

"We said it was a bad idea," Medusa answered. "Not that we wouldn't be involved."

"People are coming after our family," Arcos said. "Of course we're in."

Aries raised his eyebrows smugly and smiled.

"Master Splinter?" April's voice was anxious.

The rat took a few moments to respond. "We do the right thing," he said finally. "Always."

Leo beamed.

April grinned. "Thank you everyone. I know we probably don't deserve the support given how we went about this, but it really is appreciated."

Karai set her jaw and avoided eye contact, muttering "thanks."

Raph snorted. "I think Hell just froze over."

Karai glared back at him but deigned not to respond, instead turning towards Mikey and Denim. "Training begins tomorrow. Let me know when you can get to the dojo."

Denim cocked her head in puzzlement and Mikey shifted uncomfortably as he held her. "Uh, sis, I know you're probably crazy busy with your new gig, so I can totally handle..."

She cut him off with a look. "You'll just coddle her. I'll teach her to fight."

Leo approached her cautiously. "We can share around her lessons."

She turned her head slowly to look at him, her forked tongue flicking out. "Isss there sssomething wrong with the way I teach?"

Leo raised his hands defensively. "No, no, no...but there may have been a couple of complaints from students that your methods are a tad harsh, and Denim's health is a little delicate right now..." He trailed off as her eyes narrowed at him.

Mikey squeezed Denim's hand a little too hard again, so this time she gave his a squeeze back.

"Ow! Ow! Oweyyy-ow!" He yelped and Denim released him immediately.

"I'm sorry! I meant to reassure you, not-"

Denim didn't get to finish as Karai cut her off. "Somehow, Leo, I think she can handle it."

Mikey rubbed his hand as Denim held both of hers up, blinking as she tried to read his body language without seeing him clearly. He reached out, pulling her close while assuring her. "It's okay, it's no big...he-he, really."

She wasn't the least bit convinced.

There was too much pain in his voice, and she recognized the strained chords of his attempt at laughter. She had planned to debate the whole training thing. She was half blind at the moment and didn't expect that kicking was anywhere in her "activities approved for a mutant pregnancy, by Donnie and Phoenix, handbook". But she couldn't very well go around with the strength to break bones, and yet somehow still continue to be a victim either.

Not that she didn't have a plan of her own. Only hers included packing her beretta again. But she could go along with Karai's plan too. Whatever it took to keep the baby safe. "It's fine if Karai wants to train me. I work 9 to 2 tomorrow, but I can be at the dojo by 3."

"I'll bring Alli, and uh- just be around for moral support." Mikey offered, a hopeful lilt to his voice.

Karai scoffed. "If you're going to hang around you can teach your kid a few things, otherwise stay home."

"I got this! Alli and me can play ninja dodgeball!" As Mikey's energy radiated from him, Denim wished she had it for a side effect instead of the ability to break things.

"Fine, but you sssstay clear of our workspacccce," Karai hissed.

"That's settled then," Leo declared.

Mikey didn't answer, instead Denim could feel him lift the arm he had around her then hold it out. She sensed someone else's energy near them and strained to see.

Donnie's voice came seconds later. "I don't think it's broken. If it starts to swell call me, or, if anybody sees her, ask mom to look at it."

Denim's heart sank. Had she hurt him that bad? She frowned. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

He gathered her up in a hug. "It's fine, Blue Jeans. I'm all good, I promise."

"Promise?" She yawned. After her nightmare and the attack, she didn't see quality sleep on the menu, but she'd settle for a few hours of snuggling with Mikey for comfort though.

"Promise," he assured her.

She yawned again, beginning to feel like she weighed a thousand pounds. Her bed was calling to her, and maybe a shower to wash off the filth of her attacker. "I have to be to work in four hours. I don't want to be rude, but are we almost done here?"

"We are," Splinter announced. "Everyone proceed with extreme caution and report anything unusual, anything at all. We must remain vigilant, to ensure the safety of our family. Good night, my children. Be safe going home and check in when you arrive. I love you all."

Moments after his announcement Denim could hear the front door opening and closing then Leo called to his little brother.

"Mikey, if you want to leave Alli here since she's sleeping, we'll look after her. And if mom comes home, we'll send her your way."

Mikey was resting his chin on the top of Denim's head and straightened upon hearing his name. "That'd be totes awesome, Leo, thanks!" Then he lowered his mouth to Denim's ear. "S'that okay?"

Denim leaned against him, fighting off what she knew would be fitful sleep. "It's okay, as long as I get some form of rest before I have to figure out how to navigate my job half blind tomorrow."

Mikey shifted his arms, then to Denims dismay he scooped her up. "Mom'll be home to fix you up before that, Blue Jeans. I just know it. Let's get you to bed."

TSOTCTSOTC

"I'll get Anton," Raph groused, before taking a few steps forward only to stop, lowering his chin to look at Zoe out of the corner of his eye. "You gonna be here when I get back?"

She stared at him before turning for the balcony. "I'll be out here," she mumbled stepping out into the cool pre-dawn air, laced with gasoline fumes and grease from the 24 hour dive on the corner. She closed the door behind her and leaned on the railing.

City lights were the closest thing to stars she'd seen since the last time they'd been to the North Hampton house, when Anton was born. Everyone had been the happiest she could remember that year. At the lair, the house, even with the battles in between, they were so unified. What happened?

The war.

The war changed them each in different ways. Being freed, made citizens, or whatever they wanted to call it... Changed everything.

"You can't do me like that, Z."

Raph's voice startled her and she scolded herself for letting him stealth up on her like that. She settled herself quickly, checking internally to make sure she wasn't snarling, and let out a soft sigh. "I don't know what you mean."

He was beside her then, looking at her while she lifted her gaze to the rooftops surrounding them. An endless sea of humanity, mutant kind, and everything in between just trying to survive.

"You know what I mean. You can't betray my trust like that, Zoe. You can't kiss me then take me down like that because-" he reached out, putting his hand on her shoulder, "would ya look at me when I'm talkin' to you?"

She heaved a sigh, but turned to face him. His eyes were shinier than they should be, glossy with a rare display of vulnerability, something he reserved for her. Exactly why she shouldn't force him to move the way she had. Though he shouldn't have stopped her either.

His jaw worked as he chewed on his words, suddenly clamming up now that she was facing him straight on. He looked away and swallowed. "Ya can't do that shit again. It ain't right. I want to trust you, I need to-" his voice dropped and he gripped the railing so hard it creaked. "I need you, to know I can let go with you, you know, not-"

Zoe's heart swelled, at the same time a terrible guilt enveloped her as she finished his sentence for him. "Not have your guard up all the time."

He nodded, his eyes darting over the rooftops then down to her. "So you comin' home, or did you just say that cas' it was Mikey?"

She'd been staring in his eyes for six years and they still gave her butterflies, almost the way his voice sent a current through her. He always acted so damn tough... But that's all it was. An act.

She placed her hand over his, where it rested on her shoulder, turning her head to place her lips on his rough green skin. "Yeah, I'm coming home with you. I've got to help Anton figure out his gift. See if I can get him to control it at all. I don't like him getting visions of my past."

"Maybe April can help, since, you know, she's psychic and all. Maybe she can do somethin'." He lowered his hand, snaking it around her waist to pull her close. She rested her cheek against his shirt, feeling his scuffed plastron beneath it.

"I thought you were going to get him," she whispered, in between deep inhales of his unique scent.

He lowered his mouth to the top of her head. "He fell asleep in Yuuta's bed. Leo said he'd bring him to the dojo with him in the morning. He can play dodgeball with Mikey and Alli."

An unexpected lump rose to Zoe's throat. Maybe it was the way he was holding her, his scent, his voice or all of it. Maybe it was Raph, being Raph, but she was sorry for the way she acted, for thinking of herself first, maybe she was overreacting... Hopefully, she was. "I'm sorry, I've been acting crazy."

He said nothing a long moment and she waited for some form of reply. When he didn't give one she shifted her weight to step on his foot.

"Ow, Zoe. What was that for?"

She snorted, pulling back to glare at him. "You're supposed to apologize for being nasty about my dinner with Aries."

He glared at her, his nostrils flaring as his lips moved but no words came out.

Zoe lifted her eyebrows and waited.

His eyes flickered with irritation then he looked away, grumbling, "Fine."

The corners of her mouth curled into a smile as she stretched on her toes and reached for his cheek. "Fine, what?"

He looked at her then away. "M'sorry." He heaved a sigh and smacked a hand on the railing. "Can we go home now?"

Zoe stroked his cheek. "You know sometimes I miss those bandanna tails. I miss wrapping my fingers around them and using them to pull you to me."

The edge of his lip quirked up. His eyes, settling on her once more, held a gleam that heated her blood. "Yeah?"

She nodded.

He laughed, a short somewhat embarrassed sound and looked at her. "How about I take you home the short way? For old times sake?"

His expression was so much that of his teenage self, she lost a breath. With her next inhale she remembered everything she loved about both him and her life with him.

Beckoning him to her with a curling index finger, she whispered against his lips, "I'll go anywhere with you, Raphael."

TSOTCTSOTC

"You were in prime form," Aries told his sister as they walked down the darkened street. While the New York City sky was never quite dark, it was dark, and late, enough that the streets were still empty as they made their way from their parent's apartment.

"I was having a good date," Medusa hissed.

"That's not Zoe's fault," he said.

"Zoe needs to grow up," Medusa retorted. "She likes to wallow in her problems and forget that the rest of the world has any, or that someone might have a problem bigger than hers."

"We're comparing problems now?" Aries asked.

"No," she replied. "I'm bitching about Zoe being a self-centered brat."

Arcos let out a grunt.

"I was expecting better from you," Aries told him. "You're usually the reasonable one."

"I'm tired of everyone thinking they have it so bad," he growled. "Especially the humans."

"Seriously?" Aries huffed. "She's just worried about her kid."

Arcos waved a paw at his brother, not bothering to answer.

"She should have thought about that before she put him in school."

"What's the matter with you?" Aries asked him. "The both of you have a been all out of sorts for weeks."

"What Medusa said is right," Arcos said. "The rest of us have problems, to, and they aren't maybe problems. They're real ones."

"What real ones?" Aries asked. "What's going on?"

Medusa hissed outright. "My dates Kerri getting cut short!"

"You've only had one date cut short," Aries retorted. "This one!"

"Maybe I didn't want it cut short," she shot back.

"Why? Was this 'the' date?" Aries used his two fingers to air quote "the".

"No," she said, "but I busy being a primordial goddess."

Arcos chortled. "Seriously?"

Medusa raised her head and looked indignant. "Yes."

"You really like this Horace guy?" Aries asked.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "I don't know if he can handle it, though."

"Handle what?" Aries asked.

Arcos snorted.

"Handle being with a mutant," Medsua said softly. She looked at her bear brother and smiled, reaching out to put her hand on his shoulder. "All those weak little humans."

"The Mamas and Aprils of the world are few and far between," Arcos muttered.

"I think you're selling the rest of the world short," Aries shot.

"Then why haven't you gotten yourself one, yet?" Arcos asked.

"I haven't found one I like yet," he replied. He stopped at a cross street. "Where are you going?"

Medusa and Arcos glanced at each other. "Home," Arcos said.

"Your apartment is that way," Aries pointed behind him.

"I moved," the bear said.

"When?"

"A while ago," he looked at the stars, as if the sky had suddenly become very interesting.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Aries demanded.

"We didn't tell anyone," Medusa answered quietly.

"You moved too?" Aries put his hands on his hips. "What's going on?"

Arcos sighed. "I was kicked out of my loft."

"Dude," Aries said, "if you needed rent money, you just needed to ask."

"I didn't need rent money." Arcos crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Then why did you get kicked out? It wasn't because you didn't flush in the bathroom, is it?"

"You're the one who doesn't flush in the bathroom," Medusa said.

"No," Aries corrected, "That was Ailurosa."

"Good god, she could stink up the whole warehouse!" Arcos stuck his tongue out.

"Seriously," Aries turned back to hs brother. "Why were you kicked out?"

"They thought I was stalking Jennifer."

Aries paused. "Were you?"

Arcos growled.

The ram put his hands in the air, "I was just asking! You took her breaking up with you really hard. I mean, you painted, like, 100 pictures of her."

"Apparently mutants are allowed to take break ups hard," Arcos replied.

"It doesn't matter," Medusa said, physically inserting herself between the two of them. "We don't live there anymore."

"You never lived here," Aries pointed out. "You moved too?"

"Yeah," Medusa said. "Arcos and I are sharing a place."

Aries squinted. "What place?"

Arcos sighed. "The Warehouse?"

Aries paused again. "Seriously? You moved back to the warehouse?"

Medusa nodded. "Best decision I made."

"No rent," Arcos added.

"And the place is fully furnished." Medusa's tongue flickered.

Aries smiled broadly. "Why didn't you say so? You got it clean?"

Arcos nodded. "We even have a litter of kittens. The mom keeps the vermin away."

"When are we planning on telling everyone else?" Aries asked, the three of them starting to walk in the direction of the Not-Haunted Warehouse.

"We?" Medusa asked.

"Yeah," Aries said. "Why am I going to pay rent when I can live with back home for free?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Henry Battle watched the screen on his smartphone, his Doberman at his knees, sitting patiently. Watching through a camera lens was not Battle's preferred way of watching people. He liked in person, to be the one doing the recording. But he could work with whatever he had, camera, no camera, all the cameras in New York City. It didn't matter. He'd been at this for more than thirty years. He knew how to do it, and do it well.

Watching the Hamatos was like trying to keep tabs on all the clowns stuffed in a car at a circus. He'd finally settled the two he thought he could get the most bang for his buck.

The young woman, Karai, was volatile and selfish. She acted without thinking and her actions were one-sided. They involved her placating her anger, or placating whomever it was she'd made angry, most often, Battle noted, her father or her mate. She was usually sorry after her outbursts, or at least she acted like it, but it did not change her actions for all the apologies she put forth. She was predictable and easily manipulated. There was little one could do to counter her poor behavior, her good behavior was obviously exhibited behind closed doors, for Battle had witnessed precious little of it from her.

The older woman, Phoebe, however, was not so predictable. At first, Battle had completely dismissed her. She seemed little else than the one playing mommy, putting band aids on boo-boos and kissing hurts better. She left the apartment to take the little ones for walks, like leading a pet to the park, or to go to the dojo to teach. A housewife, helping with the family business. Then, quite by accident, when following Karai from the apartment, the younger woman had met her mother on the street.

"I don't get why you go out there," Karai had said. "They're all scum."

"Scum deserve some help, too, Karai," Phoebe had answered, quite predictably.

"I wish you'd take someone with you," the younger woman said.

"I could take Yuuta," Phoebe replied.

Karai rolled her eyes. "He's probably a good pick. I've been kicked by him. Multiple times." She smiled. "It hurts."

"I'll be fine," Phoebe admonished. "Go home. Sleep. Tell everyone I love them."

The two had parted ways, a sweet little domestic scene between mother and daughter. But instead of following Karai, as he first intended. Battle decided to follow her mother.

He'd been shocked at what he'd seen.

She waltzed right into Purple Dragon territory, plopped herself down, seemingly unarmed, on a metal trashcan and waited. And then, as if by magic, people started weaving in and out of the streets to her. She opened her messenger bag, took out surgical instruments, and began treating people for wounds. About an hour later, Hun, the leader of the gang that claimed this 'turf' appeared.

He clicked his tongue, "Fancy finding you here."

"I could say the same of you," she replied. "You got out early?"

"Always do." He winked at her through his glasses. "I'm good at behaving behind bars."

She shook her head and pointed to his torso, "That didn't happen to you behind bars," she said. "That happened earlier today." They continued to talk, he described an encounter that ended much worse for his opponent than him. However, he had a gash on his rib cage that she began to sew up in a practiced manner.

All of his intel showed that The Purple Dragons and the Hamatos were enemies, so what was this woman, the obvious matriarch of the latter, doing here? It didn't make sense to him, at the time.

"You won't be here tomorrow," Hun said, looking down at her working, her fingers splayed on his muscled abdomen.

"Probably not," she agreed. "But I am here today."

"Only today," his voice was low.

"Only today," she agreed.

When he was done, he left, but the older woman stayed on her trashcan, waiting patiently, her head titled as if she were listening to something. Then, just as humans had come slinking to her before, now mutants came.

She did the same with them, only this time she was more the doctor than the surgeon, giving them bottles of things to take with them, kind words to go with it. sometimes simply listening to them complain, nodding like a psychologist. It went on for hours, and Battle would have been bored stiff if he hadn't been trained to watch, and watch closely.

So he watched her, this time and many others. She seemed to have a working relationship with Hun, an understanding from the past, perhaps, that let her stretch boundaries that the rest of her family was unable to. But he noticed, that her hands lingered on Hun's skin when she dealt with him, and he allowed them to rest there, another tacit pact, perhaps? It could be nothing more than the acknowledgement of a truce, Battle noted, but it could be something more.

She lived in a house full of mutants. She lived the life of a housewife, she had no girlfriends, he noticed. She lived like an agent of the EDF would be expected to, if she were living undercover.

From his personal voyeurism, he'd determined she was a highly intelligent woman. Her IQ must at least match her own, she may have been a veterinarian at one time, she had the aptitude for it. She wasn't bad to look at it, either. Though she was scarred, she was soldier, that was par for the course, her hair was long and luxurious, her small frame toned, her movements easy. He knew she was half way through her fifties, but someone would be hard pressed to tell it. She'd obviously been blessed with good genes, and had the sense to take good care of herself which showed a sense of vanity. He could relate. Hadn't he done the same thing?

He'd actually chuckled when the realization came to him. She was lonely. She had to be lonely. She had nothing but mutants around her, even the humans around her weren't fully human. She'd whelped a thing with one of them, a miniature version of Hamato Yoshi, which showed she was so desperate for a connection she was willing to sleep with one of those things. But she was also willing to let her fingers linger on the muscled body of a gang lord at least fifteen years her junior.

He watched the screen, she pulled the device out of the mutant's head, holding it up and looking at it intently. The other four in the alley came at her, and he stood up, the Doberman following suit. This was his cue.

TSOTCSOTC

When Phoebe woke up, she was shocked to find it was the next morning. Anna was in bed next to her, she crawled out of it as softly as she could, so as not to wake her. Her clothes were on the chair near it, she changed, snuck out of the room, and then out of the apartment, leaving Dog sleeping on the couch, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. She locked the door from the inside, and tiptoed to the sidewalk. Her clothes had been washed, and smelled of 'summer day' fabric softener. Her jeans had been pressed, and now had a spiffy crease down the middle of the leg. She laughed, they'd washed her sneakers too, so that she felt rather shiny and new.

She fished her phone from her bag and turned it on. It exploded with unanswered texts and phone calls. All of the texts said the same thing, a variation of "Where are you?" Except for one, which was Leo announcing a family meeting at 3 am.

 _3 am? Who has a family meeting at 3 in the morning?_ The babies have to sleep. She'd obviously missed it, and she didn't feel bad about it, either.

There was one voice message, however, so she called it.

"Mom," Donnie's voice said. Her blood ran cold. He never called her mom. Of all of them, he still referred to her as Phoenix more often than not. "Denim's been hurt. We need you home."

She stopped, pressed 7 to erase it, and took a deep breath. Only one voice message had been left, despite dozens of calls. None of the texts said anything about Denim. That meant she was alright. She sighed, and called Donnie.

"Mother!" His voice cracked when he answered. "Where the shell are you?"

Any sense of guilt she had disappeared. "Out," she said curtly. "Doing clinic."

"Denim was attacked yesterday, and we were looking for you everywhere. Sensei is livid and I wish you'd keep your phone on-"

"Is Denim alright?" she asked.

"Yes, she is now," Donnie replied, "But-"

She hung up and turned the phone off as it started ringing again. Sensei could be as livid as he pleased, she was out doing clinic. Clinic was sacred, and she had half a mind to throw the phone in the river.

She didn't, though, she dropped it in her bag and kept walking.

 _Go home_ , said the unbidden thought.

Like hell she was going home. She might not go home tonight. She could always crash at Casey Jones's apartment, if he didn't have a girl there. However, he often had a girl there, or Raph, and she didn't feel like dealing with either of those items at the moment. So she kept walking, finally being led in actual directions by the voice in her head, until she came to an alley, to see five mutants huddled at the end of it.

One of them looked like he'd been beaten in the nose with a baseball bat. At one time, she would have gasped, but the atrocities she had witnessed during the war had long ago stolen such gestures from her. They all looked out of it. They'd all been a scrap, perhaps?

 _Go home_ , said the unbidden thought.

Piss off, she answered. "Hi," she called gently. The four that looked alright raised their heads to her, the fifth, the lizard with the broken face, didn't. "What happened?" she asked, running over to them, and kneeling next to the lizard.

"He got hit in the face," a bovine mutant said.

She looked up at him, his horns reminding her slightly of her Aries. "Really?" she asked, the sarcasm clear in her voice.

"Yeah," answered another, a dog. "Hard."

"Are you on something?" Phoenix asked. She decided the answer was yes when none of them answered her.

Turning her attention to the lizard, he was thick, like a komodo dragon, putting his head in her lap. She bent down, to put her cheek near his mouth. He was breathing. "Can you hear me?" she asked, brushing her fingers across the scaly skin of his brow.

He rolled his eyes, and hissed.

"I take it that's a yes," she answered, putting her hand on his neck to reposition him on her lap. She felt something hard hit her palm. "What's this?" she asked, bringing him up to a sitting position. His tongue, long and forked, snaked out of his mouth, but he sat up. In the back of his head she saw a familiar blinking pink light.

 _No, it can't be._

She grabbed the metal around the light, and began to pull. It had a lot of resistance, but slid out slowly, Once free of the lizard mutant's skin, she held it up to get a better look at it.

It was a Kraang mind control device.

The dog growled. She snapped her head up, and saw the other four mutants advancing on her, the lizard next to her twisted around, his crushed face seeming to not bother him a bit, and grabbed at her.

She screamed and kicked at him, but he didn't seem to notice at all.

Another growl came from behind her as she grabbed her knife and stabbed it into the arm of the lizard mutant. He screamed, letting her go.

A Doberman Pinscher leapt past her, latching onto the throat of the lizard who had her.

A gun fired, then another, two of the mutants in front of her dropped to the ground.

The other two ran, while the lizard flailed in the grasp of the big dog.

Phoenix stood up, and stumbled backward, hitting someone. Her knife ready, she twirled, to place it at the neck of an older man. His eyes were the most striking pale brown she'd ever seen in her life, very similar to her husband and daughter, but in his human body, with pale skin and gray hair, they stood out in a way that Splinter and Karai could never accomplish. In his upraised hand was a smoking pistol.

"I suggest we adjourn from here," he said calmly. "Before they decide to come back with their friends."

She whipped her head back. The lizard was now still, the Doberman sitting at the body obediently.

"Shall we?" the man held his hand out to her in a gentlemanly fashion.

"Who are you?" she demanded, putting her knife away.

"Why don't we discuss that over a cup of coffee?" he said. "Not among a group of dead bodies." His lip curled as he looked passed her at the mutants on the ground.

She nodded her head. "Yeah, right."

 _Go home_ , said the unbidden thought.

Like hell she was going home. She could use a cup of coffee.


	42. Chapter 41

A familiar sound jerked Donnie out of sleep and he immediately snapped upright, his keyboard slowly detaching from the drool gluing it to his face. It peeled free and clattered back to his desk, leaving key imprints in his face as he struggled to identify the noise that woke him.

Not noise, ringing. Ringing? His phone!

He fumbled for it, catching a glimpse of the caller ID, not knowing whether to be relieved or furious.

"Mother!" He could hear his voice, dry from sleeping with his mouth open, crack as he spoke. "Where the shell are you?"

Rather than sounding contrite for abandoning them, her response came back in clipped sentences of barely restrained irritation. "Out. Doing clinic."

What the shell? She was the family medic, but he felt like he was doing this all by himself along with the million other things he was expected to do, one of which was at her request for her precious clinic. _She is your mother. Be calm. Be respectful. Explain what happened._

"Denim was attacked yesterday, and we were looking for you everywhere. Sensei is livid and I wish you'd keep your phone on-"

"Is Denim alright?"

He started at her abrupt interruption, but could understand her concern for Denim, given what little she knew as he was probably the only one who'd bothered to tell her anything.

"Yes, she is now," He answered, "But-"

The line went dead. She'd hung up on him. He stared at the phone in disbelief, momentarily tempted to chuck it into the wall. But then he'd only have another thing he needed to fix.

Forcing himself to set the phone gently back down on the desk, he mentally kicked himself for the inaccuracy of the response. No longer being in imminent danger wasn't the same as alright and if she didn't think there was something specific for her to return and help with, she wouldn't come back. Being with Sensei didn't mean she actually cared about any of the rest of them beyond the sense of medical obligation that also drove her out to treat complete strangers. It was his own fault for raising his expectations.

He looked bitterly at his phone for a few seconds more before turning his attention back to the project he'd spent most of the remaining night after the meeting working on.

He'd created a health analysis application for his phone, wirelessly linked to an array of sensors that he'd spent hours, painstakingly embedding into a set of adhesive pads. The last thing he remembered, he'd affixed them to himself to test them out.

Taking a few slow calming breaths, he picked up his phone again and fired up the app. Insufficient sleep. Elevated stress levels and a very recent spike in blood pressure, but otherwise normal. That made sense, not that he really needed the reminder. Rolling his eyes, he put the phone down and began peeling the sensors off.

The program recognized that the sensors were detached and went into standby. As much as he'd prefer Denim to wear them all the time, even with them waterproofed, he knew that wasn't realistic and designed the application not to freak out when it suddenly lost data feed. He planned to install the app on Denim and Mikey's phones, whether or not they could understand the readings. It still had a warning alert if Denim's health suddenly started failing and was preset with notifications to remind her to take her injections. He'd also intended to install it on his 'mother's' phone and he probably would if she ever decided that she still gave a damn.

Tucking the sensors and his phone into his messenger bag, he scanned the room with a tired sigh. He still had to set up production for the medicine. As tempted as he was to tell her that she could make it herself if she wanted it, there were other people's lives at stake and with almost every pharmaceutical company inexplicably turning down his offer of the formula, free of charge, as though he were just some kook and not the creator of the limited-effect retromutagen, this was the only chance people in need were gonna have.

The door at the top of the stairs opened and April popped her head in. "I had a feeling you might be up."

Despite his exhaustion and the headache starting to pound at his temples, he couldn't help smiling at the sight of her.

She entered the room with a warm plate of pop tarts and a steaming mug of coffee, setting both down in front of him. "It's nothing fancy..."

"Yowr amathing." He answered with a mouth full of pop tart.

April grinned. "And before you remember and panic, don't worry about training today. Sensei has cancelled all mandatory practice on account of the meeting being so late."

He swallowed the first pop tart that he'd essentially shoved into his face whole. "The mandatory practice? That means Leo's probably there working out."

She laughed. "And when Raph wakes up, he'll go in and make up the training session to prevent Leo from out doing him."

Donnie smiled. "Some things will never change." He took a swig of the coffee and grimaced. "Is this decaf?"

She placed both hands on his shoulders. "Yes it is, because you're going upstairs and getting more sleep."

"But...but..." He sputtered out a protest but she remained unmoved.

"I'm familiar with the set up. I can get this started."

He frowned. "But you have so much to do for the AFE..."

"And, as you've pointed out many times, I'm amazing at multi-tasking. Now go sleep." She ordered with the corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile.

Defeated, he nodded. "Thanks, April."

Then he started up the stairs as he inhaled his remaining pop tart and chugged the coffee.

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix looked into her mug, which held a sweet, hot tea rather than coffee, trying to get her wits about her. The people who strolled by she and the prim businessman she sat with, commenting on the obedient dog at his side, never would have guessed they'd just murdered a group of mutants.

"So, do you normally go around looking for women to protect from thugs?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "I have never gone looking for women to protect from anything," he said. "But I haven't never backed down from a fight, either. Hearing a woman scream in the early morning, in a back alley, while walking my dog warranted my attention."

"Thank you, Mr..." She faltered. They'd walked in silence for almost half an hour after leaving the alley, the only word spoken was the man saying "Heel" to the dog, before he gestured her to sit down at this little cafe.

"Battle," he said, putting his hand out. "Henry Battle."

She took it, and he curled his fingers around her hand firmly. "Phoebe," she said.

He smiled at her, the wrinkles at the corner of his citrine eyes deepening. "Just Phoebe?"

A flash from her past, distant and so different from today, flashed in her eyes. "Hamato," she answered slowly. "Phoebe Hamato."

"Do you make a point of going in dark alleys looking for trouble, Ms. Hamato?" He released her hand and gripped his mug handle.

She chuckled. "Yes, actually, I do. And please call me Phoebe, Mr. Battle. I think after saving my life, you've earned my first name."

 _Go home_ , the unbidden thought insisted.

 _Shut up_ , she told herself. _I'm having coffee with a gorgeous silver fox, let me enjoy it._ When was the last time someone had taken her out for coffee? When was the last time someone had taken her out for anything, for that matter? She couldn't remember.

"Then you must call me Henry," he said. "Only my employees call me Mr. Battle." He smiled brightly at her. "You haven't gotten yourself killed yet, Phoebe?"

She shook her head, "Not yet." She shrugged. "I'm lucky, I suppose."

"What exactly," Battle asked, "are you doing, wandering around dark alleys in the early morning looking for trouble?" He smiled with one side of his mouth, as if he already knew the answer, but was asking just for the sake of it.

It irked Phoenix slightly, but it looked good on him. In fact, everything looked really good on him-his hair, his suit, his dog, his almost pale, pale brown eyes that looked very similar to her husband's. A sudden rush of gratefulness at Anna's laundering of her clothes engulfed her. Even cleaned and pressed, her baby doll t shirt and jeans were ordinary and impressive, just like the rest of her.

"I help people who don't have the money to go the doctor office," she explained. It sounded silly when she said it, and she waited for the inevitable next question.

"You're a doctor?" Battle asked, seemingly surprised.

"No," she answered quickly, shaking her head, her hair falling in her face. "Not at all."

"A vet?"

She cringed. "I have a self taught medical background."

"Oh?" he drawled.

"Mr. Battle-"

"Henry," he corrected her quickly, putting his hand on hers.

She stared down at it, then back at his eyes. "Henry," she said slowly. "I'm an herbalist."

He smiled, and she felt her cheeks redden at it. "So I can get 'herb' from you?"

"No!" she jerked her hand away, some of her tea spilling over on her fingers.

He chuckled, handing her a napkin. "Sensitive subject?"

"I have a special blend of plants for people who ask 'herb'," she answered quickly, wiping her hands. "They don't ask me again after smoking it."

He laughed, a deep, throaty sound and warmed her gut. "I shant ask you for any, then."

 _Where is this man's wife?_ she wondered, because with everything she'd seen so far, he had to have one. Or several. "Do you partake?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

He shook his head. "It fogs the mind," he said. "I like to keep mine clear."

She was sure she was melting in her seat with the fawning look of a school girl, so she looked down at her cup.

 _Go home_ , said the unbidden voice.

TSOTCTSOTC

"You handled yourself admirably in that situation in the alley," Battle said quietly.

She looked up at him again through her eyelashes. "No, not really," she admitted. "I wasn't careful enough." She was too angry to be careful. If she'd been calmer, then she might have picked up on some of the signs that something was off sooner than she had. She put her hand in her pocket and fondled the mind control device there.

"Do you always have to be careful?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied. "I'm out in the worst places in New York City patching people up." she turned beet red as soon as she said it. She shouldn't be talking about this with this man...he wasn't a mutant, he wasn't used to the kind of life she lived.

He nodded in agreement, "You're a brave woman," he said.

"No, not really," she said again. Was it really brave if you have a voice in your head telling you what to do?

"I have a feeling you are the kind of person who is humble in the wrong places." He took a long sip of his coffee. 

_Go home,_ said the unbidden thought.

"So, Henry," Phoenix used the space to change the subject, ignoring her inner voice. "What exactly is that you do, that you can come and go as you please?"

"I own a pharmaceutical company that is specializes in drugs that are compatible with the mutant physiology," he said nonchalantly.

Phoenix thought that the world went quiet for a moment, she couldn't have heard him right. "You _own_ a pharmaceutical company? That works on drugs for mutants?" 

He smiled kindly. "That is correct."

"You're a doctor?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied, his pale brown eyes twinkling.

"A vet?" she teased.

He smiled broadly and Phoebe felt a rush to her cheeks. Oh my, he was a nice looking man! "No," he chuckled. "Although, I could probably perform as one."

SHe giggled, and realized she sounded absolutley idiotic. "I-I'm at a loss for words," she admitted. "You should have said your name was Dr. Battle."

"But then you would not have had coffee with me, would you?" he said. "You were already thinking no, because I'm in a business suit, and you're not."

She looked down at her clothes again, then back up at him. A little tendril of panic began to tickle her gut, as if she were out of her league. "You work to find drugs for mutants? My son, he's doing that too."

"Oh, what company does he work for?" Battle tilted his head to the side.

"He doesn't," she felt a great rush of pride, and knew it shone on her face like a beacon. "He does it all himself. The boy is an absolutely genius! He could do anything, I really think, if he wanted to." Donatello was so intelligent, he so often blew her out of the water with his sheer understanding of how the world worked. And watching him do something was like watching a master painter, so involved in his work he was unaware of anything else around him. Phoenix liked to think of herself as a smart woman, but Donnie put her shame.

"Right now," Battle said slowly, "I'm working on a drug to help stabilize the mutant/human pregnancies that are currently not being held to term."

Phoenix felt her heart drop. "I believe, Dr. Battle,"

"Henry," he interrupted again.

"Henry," she corrected, "that we may be on opposing teams. I was just coming from a patient that can't afford the doctor, or the medications." She pursed her mouth.

He leaned back, regarding her. "And herbs help?"

She sighed. "No," she said. "They don't."

 _Go home,_ said the unbidden thought.

 _Oh, shut up,_ she replied.

"That is one of the downfalls of medicine," Battle admitted. "It costs so much to produce a drug, and then the red tape in actually prescribing it, that it becomes too expensive for many who need it." He took a card out of his pocket. "I would love for you to come to my facility and see what we're doing." He held it out to her.

She took it, reading his name and address on the business card. "I don't know..."

"I could use the insight you have," he said. "You probably have anecdotal evidence of things that I can't even imagine. Despite that anecdotates are not scietifically verifiable, they are valuable, nonetheless. And that is a vital piece of the puzzle that I don't have."

"I doubt waht I could tell you would be of much help to you," she said. "But my son would probably..." she shrugged. "I'll talk to him, and see."

"I would like _you_ to come," he said.

Again, panic began to stroke at her spine. "Thank you for taking me for tea, Henry," she said. She downed the last of her cup. "I really need to get going. I've been gone all night, and my family is waiting."

He stood up as she did. "Please come to the facility," he said. "If I can get this medicine out to the public..." He gave a frustrated grunt.

She bit her lip.

"Why don't you meet me here for coffee next Wednesday," Battle said, when she didn't reply. "We can talk more about it then? Mid-morning?"

He had a drug that could help her patients. He was hinting that he would give her a supply...She looked down at his business card again. "Maybe," she said, picking up her bag. "My schedule isn't set in stone yet, so I'm not sure if I will be available."

"I will be available," he said. "And waiting."

She nodded. "Alright." She pulled the bag over her shoulder, before leaving after saying goodbye.

TSOTCTSOTC

The problem with living in close quarters with other people, Splinter had noted more than once, was that the other people know all about your business. Which wasn't so much a problem, when one had no business. When the boys were young, business had mainly revolved around them, so Splinter's business was not an issue. As they got older, and Hamato Yoshi's past began to collide with his present, business got a little more complicated. Oroku Saki's anger had not been quenched the years of their parting, and his vendetta against his former brother was brought down upon Splinter's sons. Miwa was revealed to be alive, to remain Karai, even though the girl renounced the man who raised her to come to be with her birth family. His business became even more complicated when his future collided with his present, when he chose to rescue a tiny, little woman who had helped him during the Kraang invasion, who had wheedled her way into his heart and never left.

But what made it most complicated, he noted, was that his eldest son had no qualms about pointing out said business when he felt it necessary. It was a trait that Splinter wished one of his other sons possessed, and not the one with whom he spent the most time.

"Are you just going to let her stand out there?" Leo asked quietly as he took Splinter's tea cup from him where the rat sat on the couch in the living room.

Splinter stared at the front door, which he'd been looking at since he felt his wife's presence, much larger than her actual physical size, coming up the stairwell. Apparently, Leo had felt it too, and had felt it stop and stay at the front door of their house.

"She'll come in when she is ready," Splinter said.

"At this rate, that'll be next Tuesday," Karai muttered.

"Sensei," Leo cleared his throat. "You're the one who stormed out of the house yesterday."

Splinter turned a dangerous eye to his eldest son, who cringed under his father's gaze.

Yuuta squeaked, and put his fingers to his ear and mouth, using his hand as a phone and shook his head.

Splinter suppressed a growl...now the baby was telling him what he did wrong?! "Twenty push-ups," he said to the little rat pup. "Now."

The boy squinted his dark green eyes in a perfect imitation of his mother before doing as he was told.

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix stopped at the door her apartment, her hand hesitating over the knob. She didn't want to go in, not because she knew she would be bombarded with "where were you?"s by the denizens that stayed over from the 3am meeting in the morning, but because she didn't want to have to face the one person who probably _wouldn't_ ask where she'd been.

Her husband.

She blinked back tears, her anger from the day before having melted back into the hurt where it had originated from. _You can't stay out here forever,_ she told herself. But the apartment was rather quiet, considering it must be filled with people, which meant they were all sleeping. She didn't want to wake them, and after her morning conversation with Donatello, she was sure that her entrance would wake whomever may still be asleep on the couch or floor.

She didn't have to make the decision, however. As if she was casting a magic spell, the door opened on its own, slowly, to reveal Splinter standing on the other side. His mouth was set in a grim line. "Are you going to stay in the hallway?" he asked.

Anger flared back up in her breast. "If I want to," she replied. She glanced behind him, and saw the living room was empty. "Where is everyone?"

"At their homes, I would presume," he said formally.

"Where were you?" asked Karai, popping her head around the door frame. "We all got roped into a 3 am meeting."

"I saw the text," Phoenix answered in a quiet voice.

"Then why didn't you come?" Leo asked from somewhere in the house, she couldn't see where.

"Because I got it at 6 in the morning, when I checked my phone." Her voice was slowly changing from tired to tight.

"Why didn't you call?" he asked.

Splinter moved out of the way to allow her entrance.

She slid by him, Yuuta jumping up from where he was on the floor into her arms. She smiled, dumping her bags on the floor at the same time with a thud. "Hi, Squeaky Toy," she said gently.

He squeaked what sounded very much like "Mama," in reply.

"You did not call when you saw we have all been trying to reach you?" Splinter asked, his back straight, his arms behind his back.

She turned to him, and took a deep breath. "I called Donnie, the only one who left a message. He said Denim was hurt, that she was now alright, and that you were livid." She smiled at him maliciously. "I didn't really feel like calling you, or anyone else, after that."

"Denim's not alright," Karai said. "She's blind."

"What?" Phoenix put Yuuta down, her pale eyebrows forming an inverted 'v'.

"She was attacked yesterday, and then later on couldn't see-" Leo started to explain.

"Where are they?" Phoenix asked.

"Home," Splinter said.

She turned without a word and swept through the still open door.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim had to get his voice out of her head. She had to. Four times already she'd almost dozed off and in those few seconds where her mind let go, it was there, he was there. His mouth on her ear, his stench in her nostrils. Her stomach rolled and she tossed and turned in the sheets, inhaling deep and exhaling slow, out her mouth.

Michelangelo kissed her brow and pulled her closer. "It's going to be okay, Blue Jeans. Mom will be here soon and she'll fix you right up."

Her vision was returning in her right eye, but not yet her left and that wasn't helping. What do you do when you're trying not to remember a nightmare you lived through? Open your eyes, turn on lights, read s book, watch TV... All of which required her to see. When really all she wanted was to sleep.

Mikey's optimism was a gift, well usually. Right then however it was getting on her every fried nerve. Phoenix probably, hopefully, would be able to help her vision problem. But that did nothing for what she'd survived that day... Well the day before.

She sat up, twisting around in the darkness to grab her pillow but instead finding her hands on Mikey's face.

"Those are my eyes, Blue Jeans. I'm gonna need them, we can't both be running around half blind."

Tears filled her near sightless eyes. "Shut up, Mikey. I'm trying to find my pillow."

"Ouch. Why so harsh?" His voice reflected his hurt and she was struck with a pang of guilt. At the same time her anger built in her chest and she clenched her teeth, fumbling around until her fingers closed over her pillow. As she pulled it around to her front her fingers brushed his. "Here. It's right here."

Her throat tightened and her jaw ached as she pressed her face into the cool fabric. He rubbed her back, assuring her yet again. "Mom will fix it."

She snorted. "Mikey, yes it sucks that I can't see. But you were there. You weren't caught unarmed, with a blinding migraine, late for an injection that keeps your body functioning because you're trying to do the impossible. You aren't me, walking around like a moron without a single weapon when I'm usually strapped with at least two." The pillow was wet as she lifted her head and sniffled then pressed her brow into it again. "I've never been so damn vulnerable and I've been in a damn war!"

Mikey sat up, put his arm around her and sighed. "Blue Jeans, I don't understand s word you just said. You totally just told all of that to the pillow."

Her teeth ground together as she swiped out at him. "This isn't a joke, Mikey! Someone tried to cut our baby from my body and he's still out there, and I'm half blind, and I'm pissed, and I'm scared, and I'm so damn frustrated!" She swiped at him again, her fingers thumping his bicep and shoulder. "And I can't deal with your childish, stick your head in the sand bullshit right now!"

It was his pained grunt that reminded her of her newfound strength and inability to control it. She reached around blindly. "Mikey? Oh my god, Mikey, I'm so sorry!"

TSOTCTSOTC

It was inevitable and on some level he knew that it had to be coming. Because that's what always happened when he heard and ignored that little voice in the back of his mind, the one usually telling to pay attention to Leo, to stop poking Raph, not to eat the colorful things on the shelves in Donnie's lab.

For the past several minutes it had been telling him to shut the shell up. But the habit of disregarding it was just too deeply ingrained. That and he was worried and worrying almost always made him run his mouth whether or not it was wise.

Even anticipating the blow, which honestly had held off longer than he expected, he had to fight the urge to scream out loud when she swatted him out of the half hug he had her in. Her hand, leaving bruising marks along his upper arm before connecting with his plastron and although the flexible armor made no sound, he could feel it crack open internally as it bent inward under the force of her blow. Uncontrolled super strength. He really had to make a note of that.

Although he'd managed not to alert the entire city and probably New Jersey as well, he couldn't help the grunt of pain that escaped him upon attempting to figure out breathing with his newly compromised ribs, which his plastron had failed to shield. Unfortunately it was enough to tip Denim off as though she needed another thing to worry about.

"Mikey? Oh my god, Mikey, I'm so sorry!"

"No worries. All good here." With his limited ability to breath and the effort of not reacting to the pain radiating through his chest, he barely choked the words out. No way she'd believe that.

Then a knock sounded on their door, saving him from further efforts to hide the injury.

"I'll get it. Don't worry. I'm fine." His voice still sounded tight, but slightly more believable as he got the hang of it. Leaning on his good side, if you didn't count the hand that was still tender and swollen from the night before, he gingerly leaned forward to kiss her forehead before easing off the bed and shuffling towards the door.

Opening it, he almost collapsed in relief. Everything was going to be ok now. Making everything better was a mother's super power after all.

"Mom, welcome home!"

Normally he would have scooped her up in a big embrace and spun her around, but that wasn't happening at the moment. Instead, he settled for stepping in towards her and snuggling against her small frame as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm glad you're back."

A realization hit him and he released her stepping back.

"Are you hungry? Have you had breakfast? I think I've got the stuff for pizza crepes if you want me to whip you up some. Ooh, I should check if Denim wants some too."

There was no way she'd gotten anything she hadn't made herself from stopping at Sensei's. Left to their own devices, Leo and Karai would starve and destroy the kitchen, intentionally or not. Sensei wasn't so bad, if you didn't mind major boring in your diet.

Without waiting for a response, he started to dart off towards the kitchen, but the sudden movement stretched his injured chest and he staggered, fighting for air as his vision faded into spots, dancing in front of his eyes. Not good.


	43. Chapter 42

Phoenix gasped as soon as she registered what she was seeing when she looked at Mikey. Having him wrap her up in his embrace was like a breath of fresh air. There was no accusations of being absent at the wrong time, no implications that she'd done anything wrong to have something of her own. Just faith and happiness that Mommy had now arrived. It had been Mikey who had accepted her, unconditionally, from the very beginning of the blending of their families.

 _Phoenix reluctantly pulled herself free of the warm fur and comforting scent that surrounded her. She would have preferred to stay curled up and comfortable where she was, but biology was making demands and she'd rather not wait until it became urgent._

 _Splinter stirred in response to her motion and she trailed a hand down his muscular chest. "Call of nature. I'll be right back."_

 _He nodded drowsily and drifted back to sleep._

 _With her skin now exposed to the cool, dank air, she began to shiver. But it seemed a lot of effort to get fully dressed, only to be disturbing again in a few minutes. She solved the dilemma by slipping into Splinter's robe, belting the overly large garment around her small frame._

 _She tip toed over to the sliding doors that separated Splinter's room from the dojo and quietly let herself out. Barely passed the great tree, she froze as Michelangelo crept into the dojo from the main stairs._

 _His cowed posture straightened as his wide blue eyes locked on hers. Taking in the familiar robe, hanging loosely on her otherwise nude body, his expression evolved from confusion to dawning understanding and his jaw fell open._

 _Knowing that the revelation had to come eventually, she wasn't averse to everyone knowing, though Splinter had made it clear he wasn't comfortable telling his children yet. Still, right now it was too late, or early depending on how you looked at it, to deal with the whole family._

 _Making a decision, she moved forward and grabbed Michelangelo's hand, leading him out of the dojo before he could alert the household. Pulling him to the kitchen, she flicked on the light and sat him down. "You want something to eat?"_

 _He blinked as her question broke through his shock, managing a small smile. Small for him anyway. "Ice cream sounds kind of amazing right now."_

 _She pulled out a bowl and spoon and opened the freezer._

 _Ice Cream Kitty tilted her head up at the influx of light. Upon seeing the bowl in Phoenix's hand, she whipped out an ice cream scoop, spinning it like an old west gunslinger, and began to heap mounds of Neapolitan into the bowl from the far back of the freezer._

 _Phoenix tried hard not to think about where that ice cream might have come from as she politely thanked Ice Cream Kitty and closed the freezer._

 _The bowl had barely been set in front of Michelangelo before he began shoveling it into his face._

 _She cleared her throat and he immediately straightened his posture and slowed down._

 _"Better?"_

 _He nodded, knowing better than to try and speak to her with a mouthful of ice cream._

 _"What are you doing up so late?"_

 _The smile faded as he swallowed his current mouthful and looked back down at his bowl. "Bad dream."_

 _She tilted her head to gain a better view if his expression. "That's why you were coming to see Splinter?"_

 _He nodded again. "I didn't want anyone to make fun of me."_

 _Anyone being his brothers. Well she couldn't just leave him like this._

 _"What was it about?"_

 _He shrugged. "Don't really remember. But I was alone."_

 _Feeling a swell of sympathy for the boy, she placed a reassuring hand on his shell. "You know that you're not and you never will be, right?"_

 _"Yeah, it just felt really real, you know?" He looked back at her with a sheepish grin, until he noticed the shoulder of the robe sliding off down her arm. Flushing beet red, he quickly looked away. "So, uh, you and Sensei?"_

 _Amused, she raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"_

 _"Are you my mom now?"_

 _Caught off guard by the unexpected question, she wasn't sure how to answer at first._

 _Before she had a chance, he wrapped himself around her in a tight hug. "I always wanted a mom, more than anything, and you're a million times better than the mutagen canister. Please?"_

 _She couldn't help smiling as she returned the hug. His enthusiasm was infectious and she wasn't one to rebuff a needy child. Splinter could have a fit later if he wished. "Yes, I'm your mom."_

 _"Really?" His eyes twinkled as his smile lit up the room._

 _"Yes, but let's keep it a secret for now. You're dad and I will tell everyone when we're ready."_

 _"Like a surprise party? I'm awesome-sauce at those. You can totes count on me." He winked, obviously thrilled to be in on a secret._

 _She shook her head and laughed. "Sure, why not? Think you can go back to sleep now?"_

 _"Of course!" His hyper bouncing said otherwise, but she wasn't about to call him out on it. "Night mom!"_

 _Her eyes widened momentarily as he kissed her on the cheek before bounding off to his room._

 _She touched her cheek, chuckling lightly to herself. That was unexpected, not unwelcome, but unexpected. With a smile she put the ice cream bowl in the sink for Michelangelo to clean in the morning and turned off the kitchen light._

 _No, not unwelcome at all._

Just like back then, she was a shining star in his eyes, and she never grew tired of how good it felt to just be 'Mom'. But she'd obviously fallen flat on her duties.

"Michelangelo!" she gasped. "What happened to your back?" but then she saw the dark splotches she was seeing in her auraic vision weren't his shell at all, but were seeping from his front. "I mean, your chest?" The tingling that indicated her power was working of its own accord surged into her palms as she laid them on his arm, the warmth gushing out of her.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim wasn't buying Mikey's "No worries, and I'm fines," for a second. Not with how strained his voice was.

She listened to him shuffle down the hall where normally he wouldn't make a sound. No way was she going to just lay down and go to sleep like she hadn't just hurt him! Although, navigating an apartment they'd just moved into, and had yet to unpack, while half blind, was going to take her a minute.

She stood from the bed, grateful for the morning light that offered her some dimension. Hands in front of her, and leading with her toes, she inched toward the bedroom door without falling on her face.

"Mom, welcome home!"

Her heart jolted at the genuine enthusiasm in a greeting that was immediately followed by his poorly hidden pained breath.

She could hear him go on, his words softer than usual. "I'm glad you're back."

 _He sounds terrible._ Her toe bumped into something cardboard. _Surely Phoenix can tell._ She dragged her foot along a box while reaching out with her hands to navigate around it.

"Are you hungry? Have you had breakfast? I think I've got the stuff for pizza crepes if you want me to whip you up some. Ooh, I should check if Denim wants some too."

 _Of course being the sweet, loving guy that he is, he wants to feed everyone before getting around to asking for help. But he hasn't sounded like this before... Ever._ She swallowed hard as she ran her fingertips along the wall. _Why did I lose my temper with him?_

"Michelangelo!" Phoenix gasped. "What happened to your back?"

From the shock in his mother's voice, Denim knew it was bad. It was a sound mothers made when their child was injured and the nature of it was grisly enough to scare them. She'd made it herself a few times with some of Alli's accidents. _But I never caused any of those._ Guilt flowed over her like a downpour.

 _But I didn't touch Mikey's carapace._ Denim's legs began to shake. _Donnie said I'd put my fist through a dumpster..._ The room spun as she staggered forward. _What did I do?_

She tried to hurry along, bumping into a stack of boxes. As they tumbled over she thought she heard Phoenix again but couldn't make out what she was saying. She sank to her hands and knees crawling the rest of the way down the hall, pleading with her vision to let her see more than silhouettes.

"Mikey?" she croaked. "Please be okay." Her voice hitched as her face rushed hot with tears. "I love you, I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you, I'm so sorry."

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey's vision started to clear around the same time the vice in his chest started to release. He reached up to touch what had been the sore spot, surprised to discover that not only was his plastron no longer dented inward but his hand didn't hurt anymore either. That was also about the time he realized he was lying on his shell looking up at his mom whose expression was a combination of concerned and cross. He knew that he would need to provide some sort of explanation, but hesitated to risk Denim getting in trouble and it was hard to get anything past mom.

He opened his mouth, hoping something sensical would come out on its own, when he heard a whimper of frustration coming from the hallway amid the sounds of shifting boxes.

"Denim!" He was on his feet in an instant, rushing to find her.

"Mikey? Mikey, I'm so sorry." Hearing his scrabbling approach, she turned in his general direction, on all fours as she struggled to navigate the littered hallway.

"Aww, no probs, Blue Jeans. It's all good." He reached towards her.

As though sensing what he was doing she flinched back. "I hurt you. Again."

"Maybe a little, but mom's here now. You know how mom's have that super-nifty, magical ability to make boo boos go away, like when you kiss Alli's skinned knees? Well our mom's version is totes awesome-sauce, so there's nothing to worry about."

He started towards her again, but she scrambled away. "Stop! I don't want to hurt you again. I...I just can't..."

He froze with indecision. This was the first time since very early in their relationship that he no longer had permission to touch her. As much as he just wanted to disregard the request and gather her up in his arms, he was pretty sure doing so would distress her and she'd already been through enough.

Tears slid down her cheeks and he let out a pained sound, much different from the one he'd made earlier in the morning as he held himself back.

A hand came to rest on his shoulder and he turned to find his mom beside him. "The pizza crepes sound wonderful. Why don't you get started on that while I take a look at Denim."

For an instant he hesitated, but, though her voice was gentle, it clearing wasn't a suggestion and it was not in his nature to openly disobey.

 _Mom will make everything ok. It's what moms do_.

Letting out a relieved breath, he pasted a smile on his face and nodded. "Sure. I have a brand new idea of what to do with them that I know you guys are gonna love. Trust me, it's crazy inspired."

Trusting in his mom to fix everything, he turned and bounded off towards the kitchen.

TSOTCTSOTC

"Denim," Phoenix's voice was soft as she reached and gingerly touched the young woman's shoulder. "I'm right here." With her softened vision, she could see black splotches on Denim's head, around her eyes, draping down to her ears and jaw. Her hand was a dark black, almost hard to see through, and her stomach had a clear line, demarking a straight laceration. She cursed herself. She'd been so angry at Splinter, that she'd not waited to hear what Donnie had to say. He said she was alright, and she was clearly _not_ alright. She blinked rapidly, willing tears to disappear before they fell. 'I'm here, now," her voice cracked softly.

Denim sank back against the wall, exhausted, and her day was just beginning. At first she thought she should shoo Phoenix away too, for her own safety, but almost as soon as she'd placed her hand on her shoulder her vision improved. The distortion evaporated like the tiny bubbles of a carbonated drink fizzing into the air, her hand ceased to throb and the pressure in her head faded.

She pulled her hands into her lap, dropping her gaze to her fingers, grateful that she could see them, although one was bandaged.

After a few moments her voice came out a soft ragged sound. "Thank you for helping me, but I don't deserve it." She swallowed hard taking several breaths as she struggled to stop crying. "I didn't mean to hurt him, my fingers just barely grazed him." She gasped, choking back a sob. "Just like I didn't mean to rip the zipper on my bag, or break off a corner of the counter, or the faucet, or the cabinet, or the spoon!" Her eyes filled and spilled over. "I keep breaking everything I touch, Phoenix. Can you make it stop?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey absentmindedly dug through the kitchen boxes for the crepe maker Donnie had refurbished back when he fixed up everything he could find, better than new, just to prove that he could. It had to be here somewhere. The search would probably go faster if he bothered to try reading the labels that his family had helpfully added to all the boxes, but picking one at random and just digging in was more his style. That and critical thinking was a lost cause at the moment.

His mind was back in the hallway with Denim, worrying over how she was. But mom had it under control and needed him to clear out so that she could do her thing. Still...it couldn't hurt to take a little peek. If it were any of his siblings, he wouldn't have hesitated. But his parents gave him pause. Somehow, with their crazy parent powers, they always knew. Maybe if he was extra stealthy, he could pull it off. He was a trained ninja after all.

Abandoning the box, he started creeping back towards the hallway until, barely beyond the threshold of the kitchen, his phone started ringing. He stifled a yelp as he jumped back and answered it.

"S'up?"

The cover-blowing, mystery caller turned out to be Leo. "Mother is at your place, right?"

He used his shoulder to pin his phone to the side of his head as he went back to his chosen box. "Of course. She knew we needed her and came to help. It's mom." As clever as he could be, sometimes Leo really missed the obvious.

"Uh, right. I just wanted to make sure. Anyway, Alli's awake now and cold cereal apparently isn't going to cut it. Is now a good time to bring her up?"

"Sure." He responded immediately and without thinking, as though he'd ever leave Alli to Leo and Karai's cooking. "I'm making breakfast right now. Hey, why don't Alli of you come up? There's plenty to go around since someone or everyone totes stocked our fridge and pantry when we moved."

A rare moment of doubt struck as his brain caught up with his mouth. "Just maybe avoid the hallway until mom gives the all clear, ok?"

Leo hesitated before answering. "I don't know if that's such a good idea. There are still some things to sort out and it's probably best done here. How about I just bring Alli and Yuuta up for breakfast?"

Mikey let out a relieved breath. "Sounds awesome. I'll whip up some miso for you to take back, for Sensei, Karai and you."

"Thanks, Mikey."

"No prob, bro. Like a turtle do."

Leo terminated the call and he surveyed the kitchen. Now he only had to find everything.

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix's eyes swept over Denim's body several times, her brows drawn together. "No," she said finally. "I don't think I can stop it. But I think I can stabilize it." A bright swirl, that did not indicate that anything was wrong with Denim, swept up and down her body in Phoenix's soft vision. It pooled in places, places that the healer knew from experience indicated major muscle groups, where large amounts of blood flowed to an array of capillaries, spreading out to the tissue beyond it. In come places it would stay, in others it would dissipate. But always it was swaying, like water in a tide pool. "There is something in you that's in flux," Phoenix explained. She looked Denim compassionately in the eyes. "I suspect it is the exchange of material between you and the baby. And with the baby's DNA not being stable, most likely, your body isn't going to be acting too stable either." 

She reached for Denim's hands, which the young woman drew away. Phoenix smiled. "It's alright," she said. "Even if you hurt me, I can fix it." She winked, the look on her face identical to that of a playful Aries. She wrapped her fingers around Denim's, and worked to make the swirling stay in place, sending the golden light she saw in her own body into the young woman in front of her. Once it did, she dropped them. "I don't know how long it will work," she warned. "It might be a week. It might be an hour. Does Donatello know about this?"

Denim began unwrapping the bandage from her no-longer injured hand. "He knows. He fussed at Mikey for not telling him sooner. Then he told everyone I punched clean through a dumpster when that lizard mutant attacked me."

Her brow furrowed as she rubbed the back of her head. "Or maybe it was the other way around and he told Mikey about the dumpster then Mikey admitted I broke the sink this morning." Exhausted, Denim heaved a sigh then buried her face in her hands. "I don't even know what order it happened in anymore. The migraine was awful, being blind was horrible, but above all else that mutant trying to-"

Unable to finish that sentence more than once in a day, she shook her head and wiped stray tears from her eyes. "He's still out there somewhere and I don't think I can just let it go. He could hurt someone else, or if he's crazy enough, come after me again."

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo slipped quietly into the apartment, carrying Alli with Yuuta clinging to his shell. He could hear indistinct, female voices from the hallway and steered clear. He'd had a few run-ins with his mother on the topic of medical privacy and the final verdict had come down as she would tell him anything he needed to know and he could just butt out on the rest.

Alli raised her head off his shoulder. "Mommy?"

Not sure Denim was ready yet, especially given the state she'd been in last time he'd seen her, he tried redirecting his niece's attention. "Your daddy said he was making breakfast..." His words trailed off as he entered the kitchen and gawked. Had a tornado blown through here?

"Alli bird!" Mikey called out as he popped up from behind a heap of open boxes, a few of the many that haphazardly littered the room along with their various contents.

"Daddy!" She squirmed until he distractedly set her down to run into Mikey's waiting arms.

"Should I even ask?"

Mikey shrugged with a tired smile. "Still trying to figure out where everything is. So far the missing crepe maker is winning."

Scanning the boxes and whichever labels were visible, Leo quickly identified the most likely location. He flipped open the box, one of few his brother had yet to explore, and almost immediately pulled out the errant appliance.

"Sweet. Now for some bowls...oh and a spatula!" With Alli held in one arm, Mikey focused on the nearest box and began rummaging through.

This was not going to work.

"Stop."

Mikey paused and looked up at him immediately responding to the ring of authority in Leo's tone as he rarely had when they were younger.

He might be a kitchen disaster waiting to happen, but Leo knew how to manage the completion of any task.

"Tell me what you need from the boxes. Yuuta and I can find what you need and get it all set on the counter. In the meantime, you and Alli gather the ingredients." He assumed there were ingredients. All good was made out of something, right?

"Aye-aye, captain." Mikey gave him a mock salute before heading towards the fridge.

With a sigh, Leo looked over his shoulder at Yuuta. "Ready?"

His baby brother gave him a small squeak of affirmation, Leo began the scavenger hunt, starting with the last items Mikey mentioned.

194\. Yuuta was very good at finding things. He was even better at hiding them, but he could find with the best of them. He suspected it had something to do with being part rat, but then, his mother was good at finding things, too, and she wasn't a rat.

However, she was a mother, and he'd watched enough television to know that mothers had secret super powers that allowed them to do things that ordinary women, like Karai and April, could not. He had yet to test Denim's secret super mother power, as she was a mother, after all. He hadn't had a chance yet, but he would, the first one he got.

The rat pup was also very good at eavesdropping, something he knew he inherited from his father, who was also very good at it. His mother tried, but her ears were much too small to pick up the sound waves that his could. He swiveled his ears on his head toward the hallway, which he noticed Leo was obviously avoiding.

"A lizard mutant?" his mother asked. "Did you manage to hurt him?"

Denim nodded. "Yeah, I clocked him good in the face."

Yuuta found a box labeled 'kitchen' and began to rummage through it, stealing a glance down the hallway as he did.

Phoenix puckered her mouth. "I think I might have encountered him this morning," she said. "A met a lizard mutant who's face had been crushed in." She clucked her tongue and put her hand in her pocket. "If it was the same one, he won't be bothering anyone else."

The way his mother said it indicated to the rat pup that the lizard was probably dead. He didn't feel badly about it, people die, it was something that happened. Lots of people he knew had been killed, in battles, on the streets. Students of his father's and brother and died. Their enemies were openly talked about in front of him, and some of them had been killed by members of his own family. It was a kill or be killed world, the little rat pup understood that. His mother didn't. And Demin didn't.

He had to protect them because they didn't. That was his job, after all.

He pulled out a measuring cup, and gave a squeak of triumph.


	44. Chapter 43

Where she'd expected to feel relief at the possibility that her attacker was dead, Denim didn't. This was particularly confusing since she'd had every intention of killing him herself. But the knot in her chest only tightened, her heart aching like she'd suffered a loss herself. Whoever the mutant was, he was someone's child. What had his life been like to drive him to try and hurt her and her unborn baby? Would anyone grieve his loss? Was his mother somewhere worried about why he wasn't coming home?

Her gaze fell to her fingertips as her voice came out very small. "Maybe confirm what we looked like with Domatello. He saw him. I-" her throat tried to close as the pressure in her chest shifted upward. She swallowed hard, blinking back tears for someone that had tried to hurt her.

What the hell was this? She was a sniper. She'd killed more people than she cared to remember. But she did. She remembered every. Single. One.

"Denim?" Phoenix was staring at her, the appraising look of a mother trying to judge her child's health.

A mother's appraisal... A mother's judgment... A mother's touch, a mother's care, a mother's unwavering, unconditional love. Every person she'd killed was someone's child. She hadn't been a mother when she's done those things. And In many ways becoming a mother only made the nightmare of those memories worse.

But Mikey helped. Maybe that's why she loved him so much. He was able to keep her moving forward without letting her stay down. He tempted her to take chances she normally wouldn't, always saw the bright side, and when life turned out the lights on her, she could still feel the warmth of his rays.

And she'd just ran him off. Told him he couldn't touch her, when what she needed him to do was exactly that. She always felt safe in his arms, like he could shield her from the world and suffer every blow for her. But she'd hurt him and she loved him too much to risk harming any further.

She needed to go, to work, then straight to the dojo, and she wasn't leaving until she had herself under control.

Staring down the hall, toward the kitchen she murmured to Phoenix, "Thank you so much for helping us. I uh, I know whatever Mikey is making is going to be incredible, but uh, I've-" Her throat hurt and her eyes burned. She got to her feet and began inching down the hall. "I've got to go to work. I'm, I'm, running late. Would you, tell him I'll see him tonight? I'll text him on my break or something."

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo watched in amazement, as he did every time, eyes tracking Mikey as he darted around the crowded kitchen. His little brother switched seamlessly between tasks at a speed that would have anyone else tripping over themselves.

One moment, he'd be mixing batter, then cutting up fruit or scallions and tofu, then flipping finished crepes onto the stack or checking on the heating broth, always real made dashi instead of easier substitutes.

That he could prepare fresh miso soup while assembling whatever crepe concoction he was putting together was hard for Leo to wrap his mind around. Though, while watching, it occurred to him that perhaps he should switch up his training tactics. Getting Mikey to give his full focus to a single task was nigh impossible. He might have better luck having Mikey juggle several simultaneous activities instead. It would probably be more productive, less frustrating and might result in the development of some useful battle tactics.

Mikey set three Styrofoam, soup carry-out containers, likely 'borrowed' from his work, in a plastic grocery bag in front of him before setting two plates in front of Alli and Yuuta containing a stack of crepes, with cream cheese between each layer and smeared on top, covered in a mix of blueberries, raspberries and cut strawberries, interspersed with dollops of whipped cream. How this could be the same brother who used to let pizza 'ripen' under his bed, he'd never understand.

Leo glanced over at Yuuta, already digging into his crepe stack with enthusiasm and had to suppress a small surge if jealousy blended with equal parts pride at the recollection of his baby brother's sweeping victory in the kitchen scavenger hunt. He should probably wait to see if his mother wanted him to take Yuuta back before leaving.

Given how the reunion had gone earlier, she might want more time before returning home.

Mikey had just finished cutting up Alli's stack into bite-sized pieces for her when mother strode into the kitchen. Leo couldn't help a small smile as Mikey moved immediately place her plate in front of her, planting a kiss on her cheek as he did so. His little brother had always been over-the-top with being physically affectionate, but as awkward as everyone was either enduring is rebuffing Mikey, he was pretty sure that they all secretly appreciated it.

Mikey held up the second plate he'd brought, scanning the kitchen, probably for Denim who was conspicuously absent.

Before he could ask, mother answered. "She needed to get to work."

Distressed, Mikey bit his lip. "But she needs to eat."

Leo pulled an appropriately-sized Tupperware out of a nearby box and slid it over to Mikey. "You can pack it up for her and I'll take it with me. I was already swinging by her work before going to the dojo. Donnie has more of that nutrition shake for her that he asked me to drop off."

Despite his relief, Mikey made a face as he transferred Denim's breakfast into the container. "How'd Donnie manage to make something with so much stuff in it completely bland and tasteless?"

Leo hid his own grimace as Mikey squirted a flood of Sriracha onto a crepe stack for himself. "I'm pretty sure that was intentional, to make sure that it wasn't a taste she disliked."

Mikey shoveled almost half his stack into his mouth in a single bite, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing. "Bet I can fix it."

"Where's mommy?"

They all turned to look at an indignant Alli smeared in cream cheese and whipped cream.

Mikey ruffled her sticky hair. "She had to get to work, but we're gonna see her after lunch. When my first shift is done, we're all going to the dojo and I'm gonna teach you the fine art of ninja dodge ball." He gave her a wink and she immediately brightened.

Mikey's eyes lit up with inspiration. "Hey, why don't we make this a challenge and have Yuuta and Anton join in?" After the words were out of his mouth he looked sheepishly over at Phoenix. "Uh, if that's ok?"

A small smile of amusement tugged at the corner of her mouth. "By all means, go right ahead."

Mikey grinned. "Sweet!"

Yuuta squeaked st Mikey and he laughed as though it was actual language he understood. Though this was Mikey, whose version of reality wasn't quite the same as everyone else's, so who knew, he might.

"Don't be so sure. Remember, we're unpredictable!"

"Unpredictable!" Alli repeated, throughout her hands up and splattering Mikey with whipped cream.

Mikey glanced over at the kitchen clock, currently balanced on the counter and let out a squeak that sounded indistinguishable from one if Yuuta's. "I gotta go before Woody freaks."

He piled the rest of his breakfast into his mouth and gave everyone at the table a quick hug, effectively sharing around Alli's cream cheese as he'd hugged her first. "Be by the apartment after lunch to get the kids. Later all."

TSOTCTSOTC

When Splinter heard Denim walk down the stairs and then Michelangelo not far behind, he fully expected Leo and Phoenix to come down with the children shortly thereafter. When his son returned alone, the rat ninja master raised an eyebrow in question.

"She decided to stay upstairs with the kids," Leo's said, with a sheepish look on his face. When he did not elaborate, Splinter sighed.

The Phoenix was notoriously soft on her loved ones, inconsistent in her parenting, and usually quite quick to forgive when she'd been angered. Her leaving to go to clinic in order to calm down was not out of character at all. However, still being angry when she got back from clinic was out of character. The times when it happened were few and far between, and usually there was only one way to smooth things over.

The offending party had to apologize.

And Phoenix did not consider herself the offending party. When Leo shrewdly avoided his Sensei's gaze by putting cartons of what looked like soup in the fridge, Splinter knew that it had come to this particular point.

Splinter did not like to apologize. He especially did not like to apologize when he did not feel he had done anything wrong. When one is in a heated argument, the mature thing to do is to leave the argument and calm down , so that it can be discussed in a more adult matter at a later time. Granted, he probably should not have slammed the door. He could give her that much.

Splinter headed out of the apartment, not bothering to cast a glance at his son and daughter. They knew where he was going. Opening the door to Denim's and Mikey's, he was overcome with the sound of laughing. He could make out each individual laugh, his wife's, his son's and his granddaughter. Entering the kitchen, the laughter does down.

"Hi, Sofu!" Alli beamed. Her face was covered in multicolored fruit and cream cheese. "We ate all the crepes already. You didn't leave any for you. But daddy made you soup!"

He smiled at the girl, "I saw. You uncle Leo brought it down to me."

He pulled out the chair next to Phoenix, and slid into it. He noticed that both children were watching him intently, chewing their food, all laughter now gone.

He regarded the only other adult at the table with him, she was looking at her plate, not at him. "I missed you last night," he said gently.

"For your meeting that you called at a ridiculous time?" she asked, turning her dark green eyes to him, a hard look in them.

He didn't rise to the bait. "No," he replied. "I missed you before the meeting. And afterward." He reached his hand to cover hers, which held her fork. "And yes, during the meeting too."

"Who calls a family meeting at the 3 in the morning, Yoshi?" she huffed. "People need to be sleeping then, not meeting."

He drew his ears back. That was not what he was expecting, if anything, he was expecting her to berate him for his leaving the apartment, not for the timing of a family conference. "Everyone needed to have all the information available to them," he answered calmly. "Most of them did not know what you did, Phoebe."

At the sound of her name, her entire being softened; her face, her shoulders, her aura. "Does everyone have it now?" she asked.

"Yes."

She blinked rapidly, as if remembering something. "No, they don't," she said. She took her hand out of his, and dug in her pocket. She took out a small, pointy object. "I found this on one of my former patients." She held it up, and he saw it was a Kraang mind control device.

"This," he said, tapping his claw on the purple glasslike material on the top, "makes things much more complicated."

TSOTCTSOTC

There was soda in the glass parmesan shaker. Denim wiped down the outside of it before seeing the cheese was wet and brown at the top. Her super-preggo-lady sense of smell told her the offending liquid was Coke. She tried to unscrew the cap so she could shake it out then take it to the dishwasher, but as she applied pressure to turn it, the glass cracked. Her eyes shot around the restaurant. Woody was going to start taking it out of her pay if she didn't quit breaking things.

Catching Mikey watching her through the kitchen window she looked away and dropped it in her bus bin. Her bottom lip quivered as she reached for her washcloth to wipe down the table.

Breaking Karai's arm on her first day of training had also made it her last... sort of. Karai was the last person she'd had physical contact with, and that had been six days ago. Fortunately Phoenix had been there, healing her daughter immediately, but Denim hadn't been able to look anyone in the eye since it happened. The sound of bones snapping, Karai's scream, the entire dojo coming to a complete halt… The whole thing gave her nightmares.

Karai had been pissed at her, not for the break, but for refusing to return to the dojo. Her new sister had taken to showing up at their apartment, agreeing they wouldn't touch, but that they'd work on her gaining control of her strength and they'd build up to her training again.

They practiced with eggs and balloons at first, then added a multitude of bouncy balls. At first they ate lots of omelets from all the broken eggs, and kept finding bits of balloon all over the floors. The bouncy balls were rather expensive and after she popped the sixth one in one day they went back to eggs and balloons.

It didn't take long for Karai to identify two problems. One, if Denim fell into something and braced herself for it, whatever was on the receiving end wasn't going to survive the impact. And two…

" _This is stupid." Denim complained, staring at the two eggs nestled in each palm as she stood in the center of her living room. "What am I supposed to do, walk around holding an egg everywhere I go? How does that teach me control?" As she exhaled her fingers curled inward, the shells cracked and yolk oozed out._

 _Karai stared at her. "Go wash up and get four more."_

 _Denim's teeth ground together. "This is stupid and messy and-"_

" _You broke my arm. You owe me. Get four more." Karai looked toward the kitchen and Denim heaved a sigh as she made her way to the trash._

 _She washed up then returned to the living room with four more eggs, two in each hand. Karai wasn't alone this time, Leo and Zoe stood on either side of her. Denim stopped just outside the kitchen, not wanting to risk getting close to anyone. "What's going on, now?"_

" _Since you won't come to the dojo, we're coming to you." Zoe was smiling, Denim noticed in her periphery as she fixed her gaze on Karai's arm. She refused to look at them, instead focusing on the bones she'd broken, healed or not._

" _I was hoping you'd make the connection yourself, but you didn't." Karai began. "So here's where we're at. You break things when you get emotional. You get angry, you break things. You get stressed, you break things. You're sad… you get the picture? When you're not thinking you don't break things. So you need to control your thoughts and emotions, as well as understand how much pressure you're applying while feeling them. So-" Karai motioned to Leo, "you get to meditate with Leo." Then she pointed to Zoe. "And you get yoga with, Z." Karai crossed the room, coming too close and Denim stepped back afraid she'd bump her or something._

 _Her sister remained undeterred. "We're not giving up on you."_

Denim scooped up the change left on her next table, dropping it into her apron. She glanced at the clock above the kitchen window, catching Mikey passing a ball of pizza dough from one hand to the other. Their eyes met and she looked away again.

As she walked by his station, taking her bin to the dishwasher, he stepped off the cook line. "Hey, Blue Jeans, uh- Woody asked if I'd work deliveries tonight, another driver quit."

Her arms began to tremble with the weight of the dishes. She chewed on her lip, keeping her eyes on his name-tag. Her voice came out lower than she'd intended. "Did you forget about Alli's meeting?"

When he reached out to take the bin from her she leapt back, bumping into rack of resting dough. It rolled into the wall then bounced off. Michelangelo's hand closed around the arm of it, stopping the whole thing from tipping over. "I didn't forget," he said softly. "I just thought-"

Everything was breaking. From whatever she touched all the way down to everyone she no longer could. She found herself blinking back tears. "No. It's okay. I can handle it." The pressure in her chest was great and she struggled to recall Zoe's coaching. _Inhale through your nose, exhale through your nose._ And Leo's, 'clear your mind of everything.'

"I can tell him no." Mikey began. "It's just-"

 _We need the money._

"It's fine," she said, turning to put the bin on the conveyor.

She caught him shoving his hands into his pockets as he followed her, while making his uncertain whiny noise. "Are you sure?"

Having picked up a second shift herself and just finished it, she was done for the day. She had time to run home and shower before picking up Alli and getting to the meeting. Ignoring him she made her way to the locker room.

But of course he followed her.

"It's fine," she repeated, flipping the dial on her combination lock.

He hovered near the door, not coming any closer. "Okay. I'll be home around three. Uh- I'll take the couch, okay?"

Denim closed her eyes as her teeth ground together, but she kept her back to him. She was so damn tired of repeating this conversation. "No, Mikey, it's not okay. I already told you, I don't want Alli crawling into bed with me. She's safer with you. I'll take the couch." The lock folded beneath her hand and she cursed.


	45. Chapter 44

Mikey darted across the rooftops with his deliveries, in large, plastic grocery bags, balanced on either end of one of Donnie's spare bo staffs, 'borrowed' from the dojo. Resting on his shoulders, it distributed the weight perfectly, unless he turned too fast or spun, which could also be fun, as long as he caught all the loose pizza before it slammed into anything.

Running deliveries this way was almost always faster than attempting to drive through New York traffic, even using the little scooter that could weave in between cars and slip out onto the sidewalk when necessary, though he had to be careful not to draw attention while it was still light out. Everyone was tense enough without him causing some kind of incident, though he didn't think it would hurt them any to blow off a little steam. Keeping it all tamped down wasn't healthy. He'd know that better than anyone.

It had only been a week since Denim had gone into isolation-mode, but it felt like an eternity and he was about ready to explode with all the effort of containing himself. Even Alli was hitting her limit with his spill-over cuddling and had started telling him 'enough!' with typical pre-schooler bluntness. And that was probably the real reason, he was out running instead of riding. Getting the orders delivered faster wouldn't shorten the block of time he was required to work, allowing him to get to Alli's school in time for the meeting, but physical activity always seemed to help when he was feeling down. Maybe if he burned off enough energy, he'd actually be able to sleep tonight.

TSOTCTSOTC

Raph followed Denim and Zoe through the empty hallways, scowling. He'd only ever done drop off and pick up and was now acutely aware that he had no sense of the building's interior layout. Denim and Zoe seemed to know the way to wherever they were going. Anton stalked at his side, covering his nervous energy with an annoyed attitude. Didn't that seem familiar? It was almost enough to make him smile. At least until Alli, seated atop his shoulders, kicked her heels into his chest as though he were a horse she was spurring on.

They'd almost had a meltdown earlier when Denim had been too afraid to hold her daughter's hand despite the little girl's vocal insistence and offering himself up as a mount had seemed the only compromise that didn't end in disaster. At least no one was crying and throwing a tantrum, though that might change before the night was over.

He was fairly certain that this whole meeting thing was some kind of inquisition designed to come down on his son and he didn't like it. If the evening without him, or Zoe for that matter, losing his cool, he'd be surprised. That's sure help April and Karai with their little side project, but that was their problem not his. Besides, if anyone could figure out how to put a positive spin on him telling some pillar of the educational community where they could shove it, it would be them.

Apparently, there wasn't enough room in the principal's closet of an office for this, so they needed to trek to the least accessible end of the small campus. As much as he wasn't looking forward to this, getting it over with seemed a hell of a lot better than putting it off any longer.

They finally reached what appeared to be a new addition to the otherwise old building with a little label reading 'conference room' pasted on the wall next to the door. Sharing an uncertain look with Denim and Zoe, they all took a collective breath before entering. Time to see this thing through.

The curved conference table was already occupied when they entered the room. Two families sat at one end, obviously the two boys that were involved in the altercation. They were ordinary, indescript people, not the kind that you would think would cause trouble. They all had ordinary brown hair, ordinary brown eyes, ordinary skin. There didn't seem to be anything extraordinary about any of them, parents or children.

Unlike the family that just walked in.

The principal stood up, along with two other women at his sides. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Hamato," he said, looking from one to the other, then to Denim and Ali, with a confused expression on his face. "Uh, is the woman who claimed to be Allison and Anton's grandmother, your mother?" he asked, his eyes resting on Raph.

The corner of Raph's eye twitched as he eyed the older man with a graying beard. His voice came out gruff as always. "Yeah, that's my mom."

He must've sounded like he wanted to throw in a 'what's it to ya' because Zoe spoke up. "Yes, Phoebe is Raphael's mother, as well as Allison and Antonello's grandmother." Then as if ready to redirect the principal before he could question their family dynamics further, she pointed to the conference table. "Should we sit anywhere?"

Edgy, but maintaining enough control, thanks to Zoe's intervention, to not demand whether or not the principal wanted to make something of his lack of resemblance to his mother, Raph didn't wait for an answer before tromping over to the nearest seat and plunking down.

Anton clambered into the seat next to him, farthest from the principal and mimicked his posture to Raph's amusement. Feeling some of his tension dissipate, he lifted Alli from his shoulders and sat her in the seat on the other side of him.

A little too short to reach properly, she threaded her fingers together and rested them on the table, her legs swinging, not even coming close to touching the ground.

With a shared shrug, Denim took the seat between Alli and the school judges and Zoe placed herself on Anton's other side.

Mr. Jackson motioned to the women beside him. "This is Allison's teachers, and Anton's. This is Mrs. Shide, Blake and Joey's teacher." They looked gravely nervous as they sat down. "This is an arbitration. Our hope is that we can come to an agreement as to how best to handle the violence that these children have shown each other last week, so that we do not have to carry on to the next step."

"What's the next step?" Zoe asked, her voice laced with fear.

"An expulsion meeting hearing," Mr. Jackson explained.

"Yes, well I'm pretty sure none of us want that," Denim said, glancing at her phone to check the time.

Hopefully this didn't take too long, she didn't bring her meds. Donnie would drill her if she missed another injection. Though her arms were beginning to look like they were being drilled into. He was much better at giving her the shots than she was administering them herself. Since he'd passed that responsibility off to her she now had the bruises to prove it. She checked the time again.

Principal Jackson cleared his throat. "Ms. Sanders, are we keeping you from something?"

Denim straightened to attention and Raph hid a smirk, which earned him a look from Zoe.

"Not at all. But I do take medications on a strict schedule, soooo," Denim raised her eyebrows. "You were saying?"

Before Principal Jackson could respond, the mother seated closest to him on the other side, whose son's nose was taped and surrounded by fading bruises, recovered from her initial shock and interrupted, pointing towards Anton.

"Excuse me? After what happened to my baby, you're trying not to expel that, that..."

"That what?" Raph's eyes narrowed at her as he crossed his arms over his chest, his voice low and measured.

The woman paled and dropped her hand.

"No one is innocent in this endeavor," Mr. Jackson said, smoothing his pants as if he were trying to smooth the conversation. "Children sometimes act in ways that are not appropriate-"

The door opened, everyone looked up. A handsome blond man walked in, and Alli broke out in a huge smile. "Sorry I'm late," he said, breathless. "Family..." his voice trailed off, his gaze falling to Alli. He winked. "Hey there, Alli-boo." 

Mr. Jackson sighed, "This is Allison's assistant teacher," he said, as the woman on his right ushered the blonde man forward, her own smile more than a 'I'm glad to see you.' Jackson turned to the kindergarten teacher. "Is your assistant coming?" He sounded very tired. 

"No, Mr. Jackson, she's got a boy scout meeting tonight."

Seeing her daughter's response to the stranger, Denim's brow furrowed. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize Alli had a new assistant teacher." She rubbed her face and sighed. "Unless, I knew that and I just haven't met you yet."

Before the newcomer could reply Principal Jackson cleared his throat. "You can always schedule a parent teacher conference at a later time. I think it best if we get started. This is what we know about the incident. Allison poked Blake in the eye. Joey ripped Allison's shirt. And Antonello punched Joey in the nose. So as you can see everyone was involved and made an err in judgment."

A woman who had yet to speak, snorted. "Please, if that girl poked Blake in the eye then it would seem he was a victim. The other three might have each caused someone physical harm but my Blake did not. I want them expelled."

Principal Jackson stared at the woman a moment, then straightened. "I'm sorry, I was mistaken. Blake pushed Allison. Allison poked Blake in the eye. Joey ripped Allison's shirt. Antonello punched Joey in the nose. As I have said, everyone had a lapse in judgment."

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix listened for her currently silent inner voice as she wound her way home from clinic. Admittedly, she was hoping that it stayed that way as she wanted to find out how the school meeting went, which had already started and could be wrapping up at any time.

 _Turn Right._

Cursing internally, she adjusted course.

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho moved through the thinning New York crowd just short of running. Technically, she should already be in position outside the school, ready and waiting to grab Antonello when the opportunity presented itself but she'd pushed her arrival back to the last possible moment to minimize the risk of giving something away with her demeanor or body language. If K2 suspected anything, her short-lived rebellion would be over.

All the same, she was cutting it very close. He was not going to be pleased with her when she arrived. Hopefully, he would be too focused on the impending ambush to make an issue of it before the fight. After the fight…well, after the fight, one way or another, her tardiness would probably be a nonissue.

A woman turned the corner onto her street, barely visible in her periphery, but recognition caused her to stumble to a halt. It was Arcos's matriarch, the one called the Phoenix, a possible Kraang Legacy. Here. Now. Could it be a coincidence? Unlikely.

She appeared to be looking around for something until her eyes landed on Sappho. For a moment Sappho panicked, thinking the Phoenix recognized her, but there was no follow-up reaction to being identified as the object of the Phoenix's search beyond being casually approached.

Perhaps she could work this to her advantage. Doing a quick scan of her environment, she quickly refocused her eyes on the Phoenix as she mentally took stock of her resources. Beside her was a café with tables within reach despite being enclosed by a dainty, metal fence.

Carefully to move slowly, she stepped back a few paces to a table, with a waiting check on it, abandoned by a patron who had left to speak with another of the café's guests.

Phoenix stopped in front of her, looking her up and down as though evaluating her. "Can I help you?" She seemed a little perplexed, as though her examination had not yielded whatever it was she'd been seeking.

Doing her best to keep her head level and immobile, eyes locked onto Phoenix's, she reached out and grabbed the abandoned check, willing the Phoenix not to look down at the motion. Miraculously, the woman checked her instinct to break eye contact.

"No, I'm afraid not. I'm fine." Sappho spoke slowly, as her hands quickly pulled the receipt and pen from the check, flipping the thin paper over to pin it against the leather holder, pressed to her thigh with the pen as she scrawled a hurried message.

The Phoenix frowned. "Are you sure?"

Letting the pen and leather case fall to the ground, Sappho curled the paper into her palm. "I'm sure, but I appreciate you asking." She reached out with her free hand to take Phoenix's left hand and pull it towards her right, pressing the paper into her palm in the guise of a handshake. "Thank you."

With that, she stepped passed the Phoenix and hurried on her way, trying to focus more on the potentially gained advantage than K2 reaming her out for taking so long.

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix watched with a furrowed brow as the young woman she'd been directed to rush off after an extremely odd interaction, strange even for her. As the girl darted around a corner, she looked down at the hastily written note in her hand.

 _Don't approach._ _They see what I see and hear what I hear._ _Ambush at the school tonight._ _Save them._

Phoenix drew in a sharp breath through her nose as the warning sunk in. Denim, Raph, Zoe and her grandchildren were in danger. Although the beginning of the note was not completely clear, she understood enough that chasing the girl down and throttling information out of her was potentially dangerous. They'd have to make do with the information they had.

As much as she ached to move out immediately, it would be better to warn Raph or Zoe and notify Leo to bring in more back up, before she headed out to deal with the threat to her family.

She immediately began digging through her bag for her phone, becoming increasingly frustrated when she couldn't find it. Before getting to the point of up ending the whole thing onto the sidewalk, she found the hole in the bottom corner of her back where the seam had come undone. Her phone was gone, probably along with several of her jars of medicine. Damn.

There was no time to go home or hunt down another phone. This attack could be happening now for all she knew and she needed to be there.

Jaw set, she turned in the direction of the school, and heedless of the surprised looks from her fellow pedestrians, began to run.

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something nagging at the edge of her mind. Something to do with Alli's new teaching assistant.

Her train of thought derailed as the man she assumed to be Blake's father cut into the proceedings.

"My son says that he didn't do anything wrong and he's no liar, so if you're taking their word on what happened..."

"Please sir. Nothing up for discussion tonight is baseless, I assure you." Palms out, as though to ward off the irate father, Mr. Jackson struggled to keep control of the meeting.

"Mr. Filmore, the businessman on the corner at the edge of the school was generous enough to lend us his shop's security footage." Alli's teaching assistant added calmly as he started a video on one of the school's tablets, sitting on the table since the start of the meeting, and turned it around for everyone to see.

Zoe watched the video, confirming everything that Anton and Alli had said about what happened, if a bit grainy and obviously not the camera's focus, but something about the assistant was still gnawing at her, making it difficult to give the meeting her full attention.

"Well I'll say this," Blake's mother looked the principal in the eye. "That," she pointed to Anton, "is a turtle. Not a person. A turtle is an animal, and animals are dangerous. They entire idea of mainstreaming mutant animals with human children is absurd and puts our kids at risk. Just look at Joey's face!"

Anton stiffened, his gaze falling to his hands.

Raph opened his mouth but Zoe's arm shot out across his chest as both she and Denim twisted in their chairs to get a good look at the plain faced, brunette making a fool of herself.

But before either of them spoke, Anton's teacher stood up. "I'm going to ask you to stop right there. Anton has been in my classroom for a while now and I can tell you, not only is he extraordinarily intelligent but I'm confident he could test out and be advanced to the first grade. He is polite and respectful, and I am acutely aware of how the majority of the children in this school treat him and others like him. He is _not_ an animal, he is a little boy. So if we could please focus on the facts here, your son started a fight with Allison, and it led into a chain reaction that affects four families. It is my recommendation that the children apologize, and perhaps work some community service hours here at the school together." She sat back down, her hands shaking as if she was working hard to contain herself. "I think the more time we spend with people who are different the less fear and misunderstanding there will be."

Blake's mother compressed her lips into a thin line, her knuckles turning white gripping the table as she listened to Anton's teacher speak.

"You want my son to spend more time with that..." She hesitated as she caught Raph's sharp gaze in the edge if her vision. "...child." It was as though she spit the word out and it had left a bad taste in her mouth. "What about my boy's safety?"

Mr. Jackson cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Technically the school does have a 'no tolerance' policy with regard to violence and bullying that should apply to the situation, but expulsion is quite serious and we'd rather this be a learning experience for them..."

"And what of the school's culpability in all this?" Blake's mother continued as though he hadn't spoken. "Who was monitoring the playground and allowed all of this to happen, letting the children run wild like The Lord of the Flies?"

Mr. Jackson shrunk away from her. "Well, perhaps just an apology would suffice..."

Anton's teacher gave the principal a disapproving frown.

Denim snorted. As all heads whipped around to her she shook her head. "So what you're saying is _all_ of the children are going to apologize to each other? Or _all_ of the kids will be recommended for expulsion? I know I'm not his mother but as his Aunt, I'm going to tell you that Anton's certainly not going to be the only one saying I'm sorry, and he's not going to be the only one expelled. Not when you clearly identified each and every one of them to be at fault. And by the way, _Mam_ ," her head swiveled around to face Blake's mother, "I think _you_ would do well to spend some time with Anton. You might learn a thing or two. But then I wouldn't want him to have to suffer in your company."

The woman gaped like a fish out of water, then her husband slapped the table causing everyone but Denim, Zoe, and Raph to jump. Red-faced and fed up the man shifted to stand but then so did Raph.

The principal began to stammer. "Uh- n-n-now, now. Let's all take a moment."

Slowly the man lowered back into his seat, never taking his eyes off Raph.

"Take a moment to what?" Zoe's gaze shifted from the assistant she was still analyzing, to the principal, at the same time she reached out and grabbed Raph's arm prompting him to sink back into his chair. "Wait for the next rude thing to fly out of someone's mouth? We could be here all night."

Anton stood up then, effectively gaining everyone's attention. He looked Joey in the eye. "I'm sorry I messed up your nose. But you shouldn't have been trying to hurt Alli neither. You should say you're sorry to her."

Anton's teacher beamed with pride, then turned her attention to Joey who'd slunk deeper into his seat. "Don't you have something you would like to say?"

Joey looked back and forth between his parents for support. After sharing a glance, his mother and father grudgingly nodded.

Letting out a huff of breath, he crossed his arms sulkily. "Sorry for tearing your stupid shirt."

His teacher cleared her throat and he sighed. "I'm sorry for tearing your shirt."

"And?" His teacher prodded.

"And for calling your shirt stupid." He added reluctantly.

She nodded approvingly and turned her attention to his friend. "Blake?"

Blake's face scrunched up and he looked away. "Sorry for pushing Alli."

Everyone turned to Alli and for a moment it seemed she might protest, but then she looked over at Anton who smiled encouragingly at her and deflated a little. "I'm sorry for poking your eye."

Principal Jackson let out a breath of relief. "Well, now that that's handled..."

Anton's teacher interrupted him. "I will also expect the four of you to spend the first half of recess for the next week, helping clean up the kindergarten and preschool classrooms. I'll be there watching and expect you to work together. Understand?"

The four children nodded contritely.

Principal Jackson pasted a fake smile upon his face. "Now we can put this whole messy business behind us and..."

He was interrupted again when Joey's parents stood up. "Just because we don't want an expulsion on record doesn't mean we won't be exploring our options for other schools."

Noses in the air, then took their son and left. Blake's family followed with an affirming nod.

Alli slouched in her seat. "They didn't say they were sorry for the mean things they said."

Anton's teacher looked down at her with a sad smile. "We'll all talk about that during the first clean up, ok?"

Alli nodded slowly but perked up a little.

Denim wondered what other mean things were said, but it was getting close to time for her next injection so it would have to wait. "Come on, Alli. Let's go home."

Alli bobbed her head as she climbed from her chair.

"Uh, Ms. Sanders, there's just one more thing." Principal Jackson twirled a pen in his fingers, then tapped the end of it against the conference table in a rhythm that grated Denims already frayed nerves.

Raph had his hand on the doorknob, Zoe and Anton right behind him. He stopped, turning his head to hear what the idiot man was about to say next.

Denim was trying to get a wiggly Alli to stand still and didn't look up as she answered him. "What is it, Mr. Jackson?"

The principal rolled back a bit in his chair. "My secretary mentioned that when she called your phone to schedule the arbitration that a Mikey Hamato answered. He said he was Allison's father. Is that correct?"

"Mommy, I have to go potty." Alli tugged on Denim's dress.

"Just a second, honey," Denim whispered before casting a sideways glance at him. "Yes, Mikey is Alli's dad. He's listed as her emergency contact along with both of her grandmothers."

The principal cleared his throat. "Allison is human, is she not?"

Raph and Zoe straightened and the man shifted in his seat, slightly less certain of himself. Denim's heart sank. She knew where this was going. She leveled a gaze at the fool dumb enough to try her on the subject. "Yes, what's your point?"

The principal dropped his pen, then bent over to pick it up. "Well I regret to inform you that a mutant cannot be her father."

Denim took a step towards his desk as Raph muttered, "Here we go."

Zoe shushed him and guided Anton a bit behind her since he kept inching toward the desk.

"Legally," the principal continued, "You aren't married, and he's not biologically her father, and mutants cannot be legal guardians. He is not recognized as her father and my staff has been advised not to speak to him or any other mutant about any student's affairs. Of course," he motioned toward Raphael then Antonello, "you are clearly his biological parent. I've explained the difference."

"Mommy, I really need to go," Alli begged.

Denim's jaw shifted as she glared at the man, chewing on her words, and biting back several expletives. With a loud inhale she placed her hand on the table, then leaned over and shoved her face in his.

"Mr. Jackson, let me tell you what a father is. And though it's none of your business, what kind of father Michelangelo is. He kisses her scrapes, scratches, cuts, you name it. Then he cleans them, even though she cries about it. He doesn't want to hurt her but knows they have to cleaned, so he gets teary eyed when he does it. Then he puts a bandage over the scrape and takes her for ice cream. He sits up all night with her when she's got a stomach bug though she's already puked on him, twice. He does not belittle her when she has an accident and he has to clean up a literal shit-storm. He reads her bedtime stories, cooks her anything she asks for, lets her makes enormous messes, and teaches her to respect all living things. And that includes ignorant assholes like yourself. If that's not a father, Mr. Jackson, I don't know what is. Besides, it wasn't me that decided who he was to her. She asked him and he said yes. Furthermore, I listed him on her paperwork and you damn well better treat him like the parent he is or so help me I will file a discrimination suit and you will see me in court."

Denim straightened, the air in the room suspended and coiled so tight a sigh could shatter it. Still, Principal Jackson attempted to look down his nose at her. "You wouldn't win that suit, Ms. Sanders. Especially with all that name calling. And Mr. Hamato has no legal rights to your daughter."

To this Denim let out a somewhat giddy laugh. "Well then, you try me, Mr. Jackson, and I'll go to war to change those laws. In the meantime the negative publicity it will bring to this school will certainly drive lots of eager students to your classrooms." Her voice, thick with sarcasm, served her well in taunting him as he blanched at her words.

But she wasn't done.

"You do have a student quota to fill, don't you? If I were a narrow minded bigot like so many people are, I certainly wouldn't want my kid's school in the middle of a ugly suit. I know what kinds of things nasty people do in public places when they've been painted in a less than favorable light. "

The man's nostrils flared. "Is that a threat, Ms. Sanders?"

Denim picked up his pen, rolling it over her fingers. "Not at all. Just the truth. But, if I were you, I'd probably just give the individual listed as father, by the mother, on the form, the respect he deserves. But you do what you got to do and I'll do what I've got to do. In the meantime Alli will be in class on Monday and her father will be dropping her off and picking her up. Have a good weekend, Mr. Jackson."

As she set the pen back on his desk ink bled out the top and bottom of it, as she'd smashed it flat between her fingers. She looked down to Alli. "Let's go potty, honey. I'm sorry I made you wait. Oh and Daddy's working late tonight. Let's make him a pizza and put it in the fridge for when he gets home."

Alli squealed as she bounced on her toes. "Yay! We'll put jellybeans on it. He likes those."

Denim turned her back on the man gaping at his pen. Raph, Zoe and Anton flowed out the door to make way for them.

As soon as it closed Raph let out a low whistle. "Damn, Denim. Don't hold back."

Zoe elbowed him.

"What? That was-" Raph tipped his head to the side, but Zoe cocked an eyebrow and shook her head. Raph rolled his eyes and sighed. "So, he really cleans up the nasty stuff, huh?"

Denim's eyes flickered to Raphael. "And he never complains. Not a single word. Now, Alli really has to go to the bathroom, so you guys go ahead and we'll catch up. Okay?"

Raph frowned. "I don't know. You shouldn't be-"

Denim rolled her eyes. "We're going to the bathroom. How far ahead are you going to get? We'll catch up in like five minutes. Besides, I need a minute to myself after that."

Raph still looked hesitant, and Zoe didn't seem pleased either.

"Mommy! I'm gonna have a accident!" Alli wiggled and danced, trying to hold it in.

"Fine, baby, let's go." Denim followed Alli as she ran for the bathrooms, not waiting for Raph or Zoe's approval.

"We'll wait out front," Zoe called to her.

Denim waved a hand as she entered the bathroom.

Zoe glanced back as she headed with her family towards the school entrance. Alli's teaching assistant was trailing behind them, but appeared focused on his phone, causing him to fall further and further back as she walked.

Exhaling a relieved breath, she relaxed as the distance between them increased. She still didn't know what it was about him that bothered her, but was glad to be away from the man, especially as she had Anton with her.

Maybe whatever it was would come to her later if she stopped actively trying to think of it. Either way, she was recommending the guy be investigated when they discussed the meeting with the rest of the family. For now, she'd settle for escaping the stuffy school building and getting some fresh air while they waited.


	46. Chapter 45

K2 crouched atop the school building, waiting in the waning light. Not that he expected the dim evening to be a hindrance for anyone involved. In fact it would minimize potential witnesses, not that the area was much trafficked at this time of day.

Waiting on K76 was understandable. He couldn't act until the meeting concluded, but K8 should have been here by now.

"K8. Location."

A few seconds later, his handler transferred the information from K8's handler as a line of scrolling text along the top of his vision. She was close and moving closer. Good. Still, her late arrival was unacceptable. He would need to 'discuss' the issue with her later. His mouth curved into a smile at the thought. Yes, something to look forward to.

 _East door. ETA about 1 min. Only one turtle._

K76's text, forwarded to his ocular receiver, scrolled across his vision.

He moved with inhuman speed into position, dropping a modified flashbang over the edge, to be obscured by one of the sparse bushes flanking the school doors. When triggered, it should produce blinding light and concussive force with only a muted level of sound. No need to draw unwanted attention.

He considered K8's location and K76's message. She'd arrive shortly, but possibly not before the mission began. Not that it was critical. She knew her job. Acquire the target and fall back. Showing up late might even be advantageous. Even so, he didn't intend to ever mention that. He'd been waiting for her to make a slip up like this for a long time and had no intention of relinquishing any of the leverage it afforded him.

The doors opened and he was pleased to see the primary and secondary mission objectives stop and wait. The goal was in the middle with the escaped hybrid on one side and the expendable turtle on the other, closest to his grenade. Perfect.

His thumb depressed the remote trigger with a quiet click and the hybrid and turtle whipped around to seek him put but it was too late. The flashbang was going off and K76 would be through those doors any second.

The effects of the weapon started to dissipate as he leapt over the ledge. Time to get this done.

"Shit!" Raph hollered then dissolved into the flash, from right beside Zoe.

The light was blinding and brought with it recoil that brought her to her knees. It must've knocked Anton off his feet, because his fingers fumbled for her bicep then jerked downward. "Mom!" he cried.

"Zoe!" Raph shouted.

"I've got Anton!" she called, wrapping her hand around her son's as she scrambled to her feet. She lifted Anton off his and pulled him to her but met unusual resistance. "Keep close to me, at least until this clears," she ordered, unable to see him.

"Mom! Help!" Anton screamed as the tugging sensation grew into a hard pull.

She couldn't see who or what was attacking them but she didn't have to. Releasing the energy she constantly suppressed, it flowed out of her like an invisible bubble, expanding to the immediate area sending vibrations back to her that identified the position of her threats. And the location of the asshole trying to steal her son.

The air was clearing as she launched into the mist, her foot flying into the side of an unidentifiable head. All she knew was it wasn't Raph and they were trying to get Anton. In her landing her fingers parted from his arm. She could see clearer now, but where she expected to find fear in her son's eyes she was stunned to see his father's scowl. "Mom, look out!"

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim stared at her reflection in the mirror above the bathroom sink, while Alli sang, 'Row, row, row your boat,' as she waited to tinkle. Her daughter's sneakers were just visible below the stall door, swinging back and forth as she belted out the lyrics. It had been a while since she'd been inside the school and she'd forgotten how small everything was. From the sinks to the stalls and toilets were all child sized, which brought her attention back to the woman staring back at her in the mirror. _Should I be embarrassed by the fact that I fit so comfortably in such small spaces?_ She turned a bit to the side, noting her thickening mid-section. _Well I did._

She sighed at the same time Alli's song ended only for her to start into 'Happy Birthday'. It wasn't even anyone's birthday. "Alli, you almost done, baby? Mommy's tired and we need to get home and make dinner." Not to mention the paranoia squad was waiting for them out front. Of course if it were Mikey he'd probably be standing sentry outside the bathroom door after what happened last week.

TSOTCTSOTC

Raph knew the assailant on the roof would be upon them any second, not that it helped with his senses temporarily in shock. The loss of vision wasn't a complete disaster as he'd done his share of blind fighting, but being unable to hear stepped up the difficulty a notch and the force of the blast had done something screwy to his equilibrium, totally fucking his balance and orientation. He'd view it as a challenge if Zoe and Anton weren't here too. Dammit!

Fortunately, there were other senses not so easily interfered with, although the mystical, 'sensing your opponent's ki' shit had never been his favorite lessons. Preparing to fend off the onslaught, he found that his opponent wasn't where he thought the guy would be. He was...by Zoe and Anton! Shit!

He started towards his opponent, some spotty vision beginning to return, when he felt a wave of Zoe's familiar energy break over him scattering his focus on the enemy. Trying to pull it back together, he became aware of a second assailant coming from behind him, just in time to spin and block what felt like a kick, with his forearms. A kick powerful enough to throw him back off his feet- too strong for a regular human, even with advanced combat training.

He turned the fall into a backwards roll, ending on his feet as he skidded to a halt. The motion was embarrassingly clumsy, damn bomb. At least he had enough of his vision back to make out silhouettes.

Whoever was coming for him had already closed the distance and fired off a barrage of punches that wouldn't of hit solidly, even if he hadn't been jumping backwards. Or so he thought. The bastard had a set of blades running down the lengths of his forearms. He wasn't trying to punch Raph. He wanted to open him up. Shit. What he wouldn't give to have his sais right now. Stupid school policy banning weapons.

There wasn't a good opportunity to pull out the blades, hidden under his wraps and they wouldn't be large enough to afford him much advantage anyway. _A ninja is never without a weapon_.One of his father's lessons flitted through his mind, but he was still working his environment mostly from memory and wasn't in the best situation to take stock of what was available to him.

Ah hell, fighting defensively wasn't his style. Screw it, he'd be his own weapon. Charging forward with a roar, he navigated the subtle changes in air pressure to feel his opponent's movements, catching the guy by the inside of his wrists, yanking the arms down to introduce the jerk's face to his knee.

Instead of the squishy crunch he'd been expecting, his joint collided with solid metal, sending a vibrating wave of pain through his entire limb and rendering it momentarily numb. What the hell?

The man, or whatever it was he was fighting, twisted in his grasp until he was the one being gripped by his opponent. Raph could sense him dropping lower in preparation for a throw, but his reaction time and reflexes were still out of whack from the explosion and he couldn't get the countermove off before it was too late.

Despite being of smaller size, his opponent managed to lift him effortlessly over a hip and shoulder, slamming him down shell first into the sidewalk before flipping on top of him, using his knee to pin Raph's chest.

Raph was in the process of bucking him up to reverse the pin, when his assailant's grip tightened on his wrists, cracking bone, at the same time that metal skull smashed down into his own forehead. Jarred, but still conscious by sheer force of will, his vision, now fuzzy and double, finally cleared enough to get his first good glimpse of what was going on.

Alli's teaching assistant was a freaking killer robot with what looked like mini laser cannons sticking out of the tops of his arms where the blades had been earlier, charging up and aimed right at his face.

A familiar "thhhpt," strode through the air, followed by the ping of metal on metal. The second 'thhpt,' right after the first, was followed by the sound of shattering glass, as one of the red lights on Raph's assailant's shoulders shattered as a the crimped bullet shell hit it.

He could remember the last time he'd been so relieved to know his mother was present in a fight. And that she hadn't followed the no weapons on school grounds rule.

She appeared behind his head, and he saw her underside as she aimed a flying kick at Alli's teacher's head. The robot released his grip on Raph's wrists to grab at Phoenix's leg as she sailed at him. She made contact, the sound resembling the kicking down of a door. It caused the robot to jolt back slightly, his weight coming off Raph's chest.

However, he was able stop Phoenix's forward momentum, twisting her body by her leg, and sending her smashing down on top of Raph's plastron. She grunted hard as she hit.

Raph rolled as the robot teacher assistant aimed a punch at his chest, which had his mother's head resting on it. The concrete that it hit instead cracked loudly. He continued to roll, then used the momentum to lift the two of them to their feet. "They're after Zoe and Anton," he said.

"Your wrists!" she cried at the same time. Then her eyes went wide, "Behind you!" Her slingshot was out in a heartbeat, three shots fired in quick succession. One hit the robot in his human eye, which seemed to have some effect. They eyeball didn't pop like it was supposed to with such an impact, but the robot put hand to his face and cried out in frustration.

"Go to them," Phoenix told Raph, "I'll take care of him." As soon as Raph was out of her line of sight, she pulled her beautifully carved knife out of its scabbard. "Come dance with me, handsome," she said. "It's been a long time since I've played under the red lights."

TSOTCTSOTC

"Mom, look out!" Anton screamed.

As Zoe launched herself onto her son an electric jolt shot through her back, turning her attempt to shield him into an awkward fall that knocked them both to the ground. Anton grabbed her arms, rolling them both to the side as a dark-skinned woman holding some type of modified cattle prod struck at them again. Sparks flew up from the concrete as their attacker missed.

Burning flesh searing in her back, Zoe's jaw shifted as she moved apart from Anton, getting to her feet. No one was touching her baby with that or anything else.

But the woman attacker wasn't alone, there was a man with her, bearing a huge smirk on his face, wielding a gun of some sort that snapped and crackled like a bug zapper.

"Stay behind me, Antonello. And should they get past me, don't let anyone lay a finger on you." White singed the edges of her mind, an untamed beast locked away waiting to be summoned. She smiled back at the assailant. "But I don't think that's likely to happen."

Unlike Raphael, Zoe wasn't opposed to bending the rules, besides a fan was hardly considered a weapon. She reached into her back pocket, her smile falling when she found it empty. Their cattle-prod wielding attacker smiled, but it seemed a tight lipped thing that gave Zoe notice as she lifted her tessen, waving it at her. "Looking for this?"

The feral cat within Zoe clawed at its holdings, but as the woman and man launched a synchronized attack, she opened the gate.

TSOTCTSOTC

"The Itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the-"

Denim leaned against the stall door and groaned. "Alli, _what_ is going on in there?"

Alli scoffed. "Mommy, you supposed ta wait until I'm done talking before you do. It's rude to interrupt."

"Well you came in here to tinkle and it's turned into a poo party. We've got to go." She glanced at her phone. "Your dad's going to get home before us at this rate and I don't have anything to feed him." She pressed her face to the gap in the stall door catching her daughter's eye. "You know what that means, Alli."

Her daughter grabbed the roll of toilet paper, wadding up a huge bundle.

"Not so much!" Denim laughed.

"He's going to know it was me!" She pulled off more paper, then more. "He's going to know!" Panting, Alli turned her big blue eyes on her mother. "He's going to make me play ninja hide and seek, and I'm gonna lose like I always do," she pouted but the frown broke, curling into a smile, "and when he finds me, he's going to tickle me silly!" She leapt off the potty and ran forward clawing at the door like a wild cat.

Denim stared at her. "Yep. So you'd better handle your business or we're not gonna make it in time. If you're lucky, he _might_ , he _might_ let you off the hook _if_ it's in the oven."

Alli tugged her bottoms up and flushed the toilet. "He's been super snuggly like a snuggle monster." She let out a dramatic sigh. "I'm so touched out."

Denim laughed at her daughter's use of words she had said herself countless times about her. But the sound died in her chest. It was her fault he'd been holding on to Alli, and his Mom, and annoying his brothers and sisters like he did before they met. It was his way of coping. She had to get this strength thing in hand, soon.

Alli fumbled with the latch on the door and Denim gave it what she thought to be a gentle tug to help her. With a tired groan metal creaked and the entire door almost fell on her. Dammit!

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho turned the corner to the coordinates K2 had made her handler send her, along with the message that essentially translated to 'get your ass over her, now!' to realize the ambush had already begun. Judging from the way Zoe and Raphael were moving, or trying to, she'd guess K2 had started off the fight with a stun grenade. He wouldn't have dared to use anything more lethal with their primary objective in range. The EDF would have his head if he damaged the goods.

She could see K76 going after Raphael while K2 stalked Zoe with a high-powered disruptor. He knew what hybrids were capable of when acting at their full potential and wasn't allowing for chance in taking her down, but couldn't use the gun while she was in contact with her child for fear of getting Antonello too. If it hadn't been for the allies she was supposed to have with her, he probably would have darted her with a sniper rifle and been done with it, but couldn't risk losing Antonello by attacking from a distance.

As K2 moved in, needing to get between Zoe and her offspring, he caught Sappho's eyes, clearly aware that she'd arrived and hesitated. The message was clear. 'Get to work.' While he was this aware of her, and possibly on his guard, she didn't stand a chance of catching him by surprise. She'd need to play along for now. Steadying her breathing, she pulled a metal cylinder from one of the pouches in her cargo pants, whipping it out to extend it into a baton and clenching the handle to charge it up. Weapon in hand, she started to join K2 as he closed on Zoe and Antonello.

Despite her handicap, Zoe managed to get a relatively solid kick in on K2's head and Sappho couldn't help feeling a little gratified by that. But it also provided an opening that it would be suspicious not to take and K2 was already shaking off the blow, prematurely anticipating his victory.

"Mom, look out!" Antonello screamed at his mother, seeing Sappho's approach.

Schooling her expression to neutral, she jammed the baton into Zoe's back as the hybrid used her body to shield her son, discharging the electricity into the hybrid. Before she retracted her recharging weapon, she saw the metal fan in Zoe's back pocket, folded closed. K2 had been eyeing it as he'd circled his prey, so it would be better if he wasn't allowed to have it. With her free hand, she pulled the item loose, knowing that Zoe probably wouldn't have enough feeling back yet to notice.

Confident that the hybrid could sustainably take at least one more shock without being too debilitated she struck again, but, to her relief, Antonello rolled his mother out of the way and she got only pavement.

Zoe regained her footing, able to see now, and put some distance between herself and her son. It was the opportunity K2 had been waiting for. He could now attack Zoe without restraint while Sappho absconded with Antonello. "Stay behind me, Antonello. And should they get past me, don't let anyone lay a finger on you." Sappho watched a smile spread over Zoe's face as she became increasingly feral. "But I don't think that's likely to happen."

In the periphery of her vision, she could see the tips of hypodermic needles poke out of the fingertips on K2's free hand, looking like claws and suddenly knew his plan. The gun was for back up, but he'd rather recapture Zoe intact if he could. And now all he needed to do was get close, which, if Zoe really cut loose as she appeared to be revving up to do, would be inevitable.

To handle hybrids with control issues, the EDF had engineered a cocktail of chemicals, specially designed to disable the genetically engineered weapons. If he injected Zoe with that hand, she'd be out of the fight. Unfortunately the hybrid hadn't seemed to notice the subtle preparation.

Zoe reached into her back pocket, eyes widening in surprise at finding it empty. Sappho knew what was expected of her. _He can't suspect. Play the part._ Forcing a smile on her face, she held up the fan, spreading it open and waving it. "Looking for this?"

That pushed Zoe over the edge and Sappho could actually see the hybrid discard her veneer of civilization as she flanked K2 while he charged in, certain in the knowledge that fight would end before it began.

He was utterly focused on his attack. This was the moment. Swallowing hard as she let go of her last chance to change her mind, she slashed Zoe's fan out sideways, slicing into K2's mechanical fingers before clattering away somewhere on the ground it couldn't do much damage to the endoskeleton itself but the blade ruined the needle tips and she could feel the force of the blue shattering the vials within his hand.

K2's head whipped towards her in disbelief. His eyes narrowed in hatred and she leapt back as his gun hand came up to blast her. Whether or not she would have been able to dodge the blast, she'd never know as Zoe plowed full force into him, throwing his aim off at the last second. It shot high, firing a ball of concentrated electricity into the top ledge of the school building behind her which wrapped around the paved walk leading out of the doors. The blast rained down brick and concrete...right onto Antonello. Shit!

She had to admit he was an agile little thing, but there was simply not enough empty space to dodge in without getting hit by something and she had no idea exactly how much his shell could take. His adult relatives seemed sturdy enough, but he was a child and he wasn't all turtle. The risk was too great.

Shielding her fragile torso as best she could, she threw herself against the falling building materials above him, smashing the largest pieces with her metal limbs. Her momentum slammed her into the wall of the building, but the worst of the threat was dispelled.

The boy looked up at her in confusion. Dammit! He should be running. He was the target. Seeing his father approaching, she shoved off the wall and scooped up the little turtle, who inexplicably offered no resistance as though he knew her intent. _How could he possibly know?_ Shoving the child into the arms of his startled father, she spun back to the fight with Zoe and K2, unable to help smiling at K2's state of disrepair under Zoe's assault. No one deserved it more.

Her smug attitude dissolved as she watched, K2's hand lash out to snatch up his fully recharged gun off the pavement. In slow motion he started bringing it up towards Zoe's torso. If fired point blank into her body, it could very well kill despite all her genetic modifications. No.

Calling on the full extent of the speed her robotic body could produce, she launched herself towards them, body checking into Zoe to knock her out of the way. The battle was advancing in microseconds at this point and she was still in physical contact with Zoe when she felt the sparking muzzle of the gun touch the base of her school. Although the blast radius of the weapon would get all three of them, at least the charged would be buffered through her before traveling into Zoe.

Then all thought vanished into a singularity of searing pain. It didn't matter that her robotic components didn't have traditional nerve endings. The charge burned through her like a bolt of lightning striking a delicate piece of electronics, frying her circuits into oblivion. She'd only known pain like this in the dreams of the girl who died in the fire. And then, mercifully, it was gone as consciousness abandoned her.

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix ducked as the cyborg closed the distance between them, swinging as it did. Her shoulder ached from where he'd rammed her into Raph, but not enough to affect her fighting any. As she dropped, two quick slashes met with resistance, cutting the 'skin' on the cyborg's thigh. While the material and skin were clearly sliced, no blood began gushing out.

 _That's not good,_ she noted.

"Surely you've got better moves than that?" she asked, dodging another strike. His fist hit the wall behind her, sending pieces of brick flying. She didn't need that to be her head. "I've had children who were better dance partners."

"The 70s have been gone for a long time," he replied. "How could you tell under all those disco lights?" He twirled, his eyes catching sight of K2 and K8 engaging with the turtle and hybrid. K8 was down, for the count it looked like, and K2 threw the hybrid off of him with a leg lift, sending her flying behind him and slamming her into a pile of debris.

Phoenix performed two back flips, giving her some distance from him, and then her slingshot was out again. "The lights were fast and bright," she said, three quick shots aimed at his torso whizzed through the air. He dodged, but one still managed to bury itself in his side.

He grunted, holding the area. "Now you bleed," Phoenix said, a feral smile on her face. He glanced at K2, who was breaking formation, and saw on his internal eye, "Retreat."

 _No,_ he thought, _I'm not going back empty handed._ It might not be what he was after, but they were better than nothing. He turned, another bullet whizzing by him, running into the school building.

Zoe hurt... everywhere. She waded through the murk dissipating in her mind, the fading fury she'd thrived off of, right up to when she'd bounced off a brick wall and blacked out. There were two levels of consciousness beyond her extraordinary norm. The blind rage she'd released, where she didn't think, merely acted in accordance with her kill conditioning. And the second, a complete abyss brought on by injury.

She inhaled and chunks of debris rolled off her face and chest, every rib expanding releasing jolts that told her where the fractures were. Her shirt was torn in the fray and the burn on her back scraped against the pavement as she breathed.

"Mphf," she whimpered.

There was something trickling down the side of her face, and her breast stung like they'd been branded with a hot poker. _What happened?_ She opened her eyes to the charred flesh on her sternum. Oh. _Oh._ Anton!

"Anton?" Her voice came out a raspy sound, drowned out by bricks smashing, feet shuffling, ninja cries, and grunts released upon impact of a blow.

She rolled to her side in time to see Phoenix firing bullet casings, and her attacker turn and run inside the school.

Raphael had Anton by the arm, running toward her as the cyborg she'd been fighting made his retreat. If Anton wasn't with them she'd have sent Raph after the asshole. But she was down, and as he came to stand over her it became clear from the massive swelling on both his wrists, they were broken.

"Zoe!" He yelled, then twisted around, screaming for his mother.

TSOTCTSOTC

While Alli played in the bathroom sink, Denim realized she too had to go. Another perk of being pregnant, and definitely not her favorite, especially when she woke every three hours at night to do so. Lately that woke Mikey, and with all that was going on he'd hover outside the bathroom door asking silly questions that really just came down to "Are you okay?"

She sighed as she flushed the toilet, eyeing the broken stall door she'd propped against the wall, as she came alongside her daughter to wash her hands. A glance at her reflection had her cringing. Why did she always look like she had two black eyes? She pumped the soap dispenser. Come to think of it, Mikey had dark circles under his too. Maybe he wasn't getting much sleep either.

Right as she reached for the paper towels the bathroom door flew open, and someone or _something_ vaguely resembling Alli's teachers assistant burst in. Instinctively Denim grabbed Alli, placing her gaping daughter behind her.

"Wow!" Alli shouted, straining against Denim's grip. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Denim was stunned, by both the drama of his entrance and the fact that he was royally messed up. _What the hell is he?_ She blinked. _What am I seeing?_

His clothes were torn, slashed across the thigh exposing... wires? Blood seeped from some kind of injury on his side, but his face, his eye...

She opened her mouth to ask if he needed help but something entirely different spilled out as he took deliberate steps toward her. "Uh, I'm sorry. I don't think I ever got your name, but uh, this is the girls room."

Every maternal instinct she had was sounding like a five alarm fire. Gripping Alli firmly by the shirt as her child craned to see the man, Denim backed away, while making it look like she was scratching her thigh. "The boy's restroom is across the hall."

"I'm not looking for the toilet." He smirked. "I came for the game changer," he shrugged, "but it looks like I'm leaving with a consolation prize." His eyes flickered to Alli. "Or two. How ya doing, Alli-boo?"

Denims fingers wrapped around the hilt of her knife, slipping it free from its scabbard. She flipped it around before her, taking a defensive position. _No way is this happening again._


	47. Chapter 46

Denim rushed forward, wishing she had a gun instead of a knife. But until she could fire one without crushing it, that wasn't a good idea. Even now she could feel the metal beneath the rubber grip of her knife handle compressing under the pressure she exerted and had to make a conscious effort to relax her hold on it.

The man's now semi-human face twisted into a grimace of a smile as he jumped back to evade her initial, sweeping slash and she knew she was never going to be able to watch any of the Terminator movies ever again. Changing the direction of her opening swipe, she jabbed it at an upward diagonal, seeking to bury the blade in his upper chest.

He brought up his arm, kitty-corner to her blade hand, to deflect the strike with the edge of his hand, closing it into a grip on her wrist as he did so.

Pain lanced from her wrist all the way up to her shoulder as he squeezed, starting to pull her in closer. Crying out loudly, she yanked her hand free of his grip to the sound of wrenching metal. As she staggered back to collect herself for the next strike, his arm dropped to hang limply at his side, the smile wiped from his face. At least he looked marginally less macabre now. Thank goodness for small mercies.

Switching to the offensive, he was the one charging her, moving much too quickly for her eyes to follow his motion. With no hope of defending, she attacked.

Unfortunately, he landed three devastatingly painful blows, two of which were absorbed by the now useless forearm of her unarmed hand. The third slammed into her upper chest, cracking ribs.

During his barrage, her knife slipped up through his defenses towards his face. He saw it in time to lean his head out of impaling position, but couldn't evade her entirely. Her blade sliced a thin slab of flesh from the side of his face, revealing the metal skull underneath.

Her injured arm, numb after the initial shock of pain, dropped to her side, but she knew she'd be feeling it later. Because she would get through this somehow. For the sake of her babies, she couldn't afford to lose.

In the periphery of her vision, she could see his leg coming up and around with the intent of plowing his knee into the side of her abdomen. Terror for her baby's safety brought on a fresh surge of adrenaline, prompting her into instinctive action.

Screaming, she buried her knife into his oncoming thigh. Or tried to. Caught between the force of her attack and his unyielding leg, the blade crumpled like an accordion after tearing through the veneer of skin to the steel below. Her attack-cry became a scream of pain as the collision jarred her arm, already injured from him grabbing him earlier.

But he hadn't gotten away unscathed either. His momentum, unable to compete with her raw power, halted abruptly and he stumbled back, his thigh now slightly bent at an unnatural angle. It made his previously fluid footwork, awkward and ungainly.

Dropping the ruined blade, she prepared to finish the fight barehanded, for the first time grateful for her preternatural strength. She'd crush him like a car compactor before she allowed him to hurt her children.

He ran at her with a limping gait and she swung at him with her injured, but still functional hand. But the punch hit only air. Then she felt his hand clamping down on the back of her neck. Dammit! How could he move so fast?

She started to twist, hoping to plow her elbow through his torso before he could snap her spine, when a burning jolt starting at the base of her neck, charged through every nerve ending in her body. For a single, unending instant, blinding pain was all she knew. Then everything went mercifully dark.

Alli watched in disbelief as her mom fell away from Mr. Down's sparking hand, collapsing in a heap on the bathroom floor.

Mr. Down's looked down at his mom for a moment before speaking out loud, although it didn't look like he was talking to anyone in particular. "Request materials for repair and containment collar to hold subject." His voice was empty, unlike every other time she'd ever heard him speak.

She wanted to curl up and hide, be as far away from this wrong version of Mr. Downs as she could, but she understood enough to know that he wanted to hurt her mom and she wasn't gonna let that happen.

"Get away from my mommy!" She ran up to him, banging her little fists on his leg.

He turned slowly to look down at her with his horrible robot face and she gasped, backing away a step. Without a word he reached for her.

More afraid than she'd ever been before, her body wouldn't listen when she told it to run, get Anton, Uncle Raph and Aunt Zoe to help. All she could do was tremble as his impossibly strong grip clamped down on her tiny frame.

Her paralysis broke as he lifted her into the air. She screamed and kicked for all she was worth. But no one was around to hear.

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix ran over to Raph, her gaze intently on her grandson. "I'm OK, G'mere," he said. "I didn't get hurt or nothin'." The small woman felt relief flow through her like a sweet balm, but it only last a moment as she turned her aura-vision on the other two adults, who were both blotched with black patches in the shimmering light that surrounded them.

She put her hand on Raph's shoulder, concentrating as hard as she could to heal the wrists that were snapped, she knew from the completely black blobs that encased them.

"Get off me, Mom," he mumbled, and despite his attempt to shrug her off and his nasty tone of voice, her heart warmed at the name he called her. While the children she raised never called her 'mom', but rather an American bastardization of _maman,_ hearing the term from one of the Turtles made her happy, despite the circumstances. The swelling in one of Raph's wrists went down incredibly, the small blobs of black closing over and disappearing as his body became closer to whole once again. 

When her eyes went to Zoe, she could see the black cloud that usually indicated a kind of madness swimming in and out of her skull. She'd witnessed it many times in the hybrids youth, when she'd first come to the Lair, and was trying to gain control of her conditioning. She knew it indicated that she'd gone blank. Unlike meditation, where the no thought was, perhaps, a more pure form of thought itself, this was a blackness, a pushing down of thought as opposed to a slipping between them. She released Raph with a quick glance, and reached over to him lay hands on the hybrid struggling to get up from the ground.

"I'm fine," Zoe insisted, rolling to all fours as she tried to will her denial into being true.

Phoenix placed a hand on her shoulder. "Not yet you're not."

As healing energy entered Zoe's body, her mind calmed too. Enough for her to realize that something was very wrong with the bizarre quiet and discord in the fractured space around them. Her eyes shifted from Raph's healing wrists, to Phoenix's focused expression, then halted on Anton.

He was the reason they were there in the first place.

And the teacher, Alli's teachers assistant, he had been in on it!

Air rushed in and out her nostrils as she swallowed hard, licking her suddenly very dry lips. What had they done?

"What is it, Zoe?" Phoenix's strawberry blonde eyebrows lifted as she studied her.

Zoe's gaze shifted from her mother to Raph. "Alli and Denim."

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim was no stranger to pain, that much was certain. But the blinding, heart clenching, blood boiling jolt that brought her world to a screeching halt was on a whole new level. Her mind waded through the darkness toward the golden glow just out of reach and she squinted before opening her eyes to discover where she was.

A hotel room blurred into focus, she knew it from the long window and bleak drapery covering it, and the long air-conditioner rattling but not doing much else. Then there was the stench of stale cigarettes and the hideous comforter beneath her cheek. She blinked then gasped as pain shot through her arm. Broken. Without question. Oh gods! The baby! He'd electrocuted her, what if-

She closed her eyes, squinting back tears. The pressure of holding her breath reminded her that several ribs were fractured too. Like the pregnancy wasn't hard enough, she couldn't get through seven damn days without something putting it at further risk. Breathe, Denim. Keep your head straight. For Alli. Alli!

"Allison?" She croaked. "Alli? Baby?"

"I'm here, Mommy." Alli's little fingers stroked her mother's hair the way she did for her when she sick.

How many times would she fail this child in her life? Suppressing a useless sob, she reached up with her good hand, to pull Alli's small one to her mouth and kiss it. "Are you hurt?"

"No, Mommy, but I'm scared. Mr. Downs is a bad man." She climbed over Denim, jostling every bruise down to her fractured arm and cracked ribs.

Denim sucked in a breath, waiting for the agony to pass as Alli's little face appeared in front of her. She pointed a finger at Denim's throat. "Why'd he put a dog collar on you?"

The pain didn't wane, instead grew and with it came a swell of nausea. "Oh, gods, Alli, move!"

Alli took her time climbing back over Denim, only aggravating her condition, new shockwaves of pain sending a sour taste soaring up her throat. She just barely got her head over the side of the bed in time to lose what little contents there were of her stomach. She moaned, wiping the back of her mouth, looking up in time to find her captor glowering at her.

TSOTCTSOTC

Raph watched Zoe scramble to her feet and push past his mother, who was now looking around for Alli and Denim. Personally, he'd rather leave Anton here while his mom healed Zoe and he went to look for his sister and niece, but had enough sense not to voice that suggestion out loud. Mom would take care of Z once they were all safely reunited.

Able to hold Anton more easily now that his wrists were no longer throbbing stabs of useless pain, he moved to keep pace with Zoe as they reentered the school with Phoenix falling into step behind them, trusting that they knew where to look.

His sense of relief upon reaching the bathroom immediately evaporated upon seeing the door, hanging on by only a single hinge. His heart rate doubled as he pushed the broken door aside to follow Zoe into the restroom. Scanning the unoccupied space, he noted a broken door on one of the bathroom stalls and briefly held out hope that Denim was just having a bad strength day and that they'd merely missed her on the way in.

Until he saw the crumpled lump of a knife on the floor. No a fight had happened here.

"Raph."

At the sound of Zoe's voice, he moved over to where she crouched, leaning over her shoulder to see what she was looking at. His heart clenched when he caught sight of one of Alli's glittery, pink shoes lying discarded on the floor. Alli...

"Call it in. There's someone outside who might have some answers." His mother's brisk words broke his horrified trance as she turned and exited the bathroom.

And he realized with a sinking feeling that he now had to tell everyone they'd lost Denim and Alli.

Shit.

"I'm calling, Leo." Raph whipped out his phone, swiped the screen and noticed Zoe doing the same thing. "Who're you calling?"

Zoe looked him in the eye, her expression incredulous. "Mikey, of course."

Anton watched his parents in perfect silence.

"You can't do that, Zoe. He'll fall apart. He can't handle this. It's too much." Raph reached for her phone. "We need to get everyone together and get them back before he finds out."

Twisting her torso away from him, Zoe refuted. "That's where you're wrong, Raph. It's Denim and Alli, his pregnant mate and his daughter that we lost."

"I know!" He snarled. "That's exactly why he can't-" Raph blinked, heaved a sigh and dropped his gaze to the ground. "He can't handle a loss like this, Z. Hell, I couldn't handle it if this was you and Anton."

Both of them looked at their son, then went right on debating.

"That's where you're wrong, Raph. He may be your little brother but he's grown up. Even if he doesn't let on." Tears sprang to Zoe's eyes at how badly they'd failed him. Why hadn't one of them stayed with Denim and Alli? This was bad on so many levels. She swiped the useless droplets away, sniffling. "Have you ever asked him why he loves her so much?"

Raph snorted. "He's Mikey. He might actually love the Shredder if he's thought he'd had a change of heart."

He would see it that way. Raph was more perceptive than he let on, much like his little brother. But he failed to see what it was that made the human girl so special. Or did he know and just wasn't ready to accept it? "Raph, why do you love me?"

He rolled his eyes. "Now ain't really the time to talk about us, Z. We gotta find Denim and Alli. I can already hear Leo's lecture now."

Zoe reached out, placing her hand over Raph's. "Call Mikey first. If something happened to you, he'd call Leo because he'd want guidance. It's what he's trained to do. But if something happened to me, he'd call you first. Why would he do that?"

Raph didn't hesitate to answer. "Because I should be the first to know."

"It's the woman he loves and his children, Raph. We owe it to him to call him first." Part of Zoe wanted to just call Leo too. Let him handle it. And they would, right after they did the right thing.

Her stomach churned. It was a rare thing for Mikey to lose his shit, a rare thing she didn't want to be the cause of. "We have to do this, Raph. Even if we are the ones that screwed up."

Raph stared at her a long moment as if mulling the concept over before coming to a decision. "No. I'm calling, Leo."

Zoe shook her head, her finger hovering over Mikey's name in her phone.

"And you give me that." Raph snatched the phone from her hand. "Leo and Sensei will decide how to handle Mikey."

Zoe had meant to yell, but her voice came out a small, fractured sound. "It's because she gives him the one thing no one else does."

Raph's phone was ringing, Leo's name across the screen. He answered right away, but Raph hesitated, looking at Zoe. "And what's that?"

"She always treats him like an adult. Raph, do this for him. Show him you know he's grown and that you respect him. This, this massive screw up we've made. It should come from us."

Raph scowled. "It will, once we've decided how to handle it. Right now, somethin' this big, it ain't the time to test my brother's maturity level."

Raphael's biting remarks seldom fazed Zoe, except maybe when she believed he was wrong and it was about something important. "What do I do for you that no one else in this world does? Whatever the answer is to that, Raphael, that's why you love me and I can promise you that's why he loves her and your," she made air quotes, " _immature baby brother,_ he knows that. He knows why he can't live without her. He goofs around, but he always, always has your back. He sees and knows far more than he lets on. She knows that, and he knows she knows. That's why she pushes him when the time is right, because she has faith in him the way I have faith in you. So stop babying him. Call him and tell him you fucked up. Then we'll call Leo back."

The two stared at each other as Leo went from a calm greeting to demanding someone answer him.

After long seconds without response Leo threatened to have Donnie track them. Raph lowered the phone to his side, and leaned toward Zoe giving her, her phone back. "We. We fucked up, not just me. You call Mikey if you're feeling so sure of yourself. Then you can explain it to Leo when my little brother goes and does something crazy." He locked eyes with her. "And I know why I love you, so don't think I don't."

His weight shifted as he lifted the phone, he took a step then heaved a sigh. "It's because I used to struggle for control too, but never like what I saw you go through. Knowin' you, wanting to help you through that, it made me better. It made me deal with stuff I would've usually blown up on. I had to have control over myself if I was gonna be there for you. You made me better, Z."

There was a knot in the back of her throat, and her eyes were brimming. "You did the same for me. Denim does the same for Mikey, not control but-"

"Treating him like a kid. She doesn't, never has." Raph finished for her.

"Yeah," she agreed.

Raph motioned toward the phone in her hand as Leo lectured them about following protocols and one of those rules being that they tell him what is going on.

"You gonna call him then?" Raph asked.

Did she want to be the one to tell Mikey they'd lost his mate and child? She could almost hear him cry out in pain, see the tears. Her heart clenched. "I don't know how Denim does it, but I don't think I can. I mean I will... right after you talk to Leo."

"You can't do what Denim does because that's not your role to him, Z. That's hers. And that's why we gotta get her back." Raph tugged her and Anton to him in a one arm hug as he turned his attention to Leo. "Leo, something happened."


	48. Chapter 47

Phoenix glared down at the woman, robot, cyborg, just what the hell was she? Squatting, she poked at her thigh, the skin felt like skin, but right next to it was a slash that showed seeping of some yellowish fluid, not blood. _They see everything I see,_ she remembered from their meeting, not too long ago, Phoenix mused. She grabbed a strip of cloth that was barely hanging from the woman's shirt, and wrapped it around the woman's eyes.

Then, with the power building up in her hands, she laid her palm on her leg, only to get the same feeling she would get if she put her hand on something inorganic. With her softened vision, she got a bright glow from her torso, and when she put her hand on the woman's abdomen, the energy rushed out of her do quickly she gasped.

The woman didn't move, and Phoenix didn't buy it. Standing up, she brought her leg back and gave the woman a hard kick in the kidneys. "Stay down," she snarled. "And start talking."

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo leafed through his copy of Haiku poetry by Ghada Shahbender, lingering over a poem about love and forgiveness.

 _Deep hurt is deep love_

 _Love equals forgiveness too:_

 _I now forgive you._

It seemed this passage was particularly true, and often in their family. He read over it a third time and considered meditating on it since it resonated with him so.

Beside him Karai tossed and turned, mumbling incoherent complaints in her fitful dreams. He glanced at the short black hair laced with blonde and shots of red. She hadn't been sleeping well in the past few weeks, not since the first AFE broadcast.

He wasn't sure if she was aware of her tells, she was certainly trained to hide them when awake. But there were other ways, subtleties he only had access to because they were lovers, witnessing the nightmares were part of that.

The question was how much trouble was she in, and at what point did he intervene? He'd held off, telling himself she'd come to him if she couldn't handle it, and that he had to trust her. That's what a relationship was built on after all. That was healthy. Their relationship was definitely that. Wasn't it?

He lifted his hand to touch her hair, so glossy in the soft light of the bedroom lamp. But before his fingers graced those locks his phone rang.

His chest tightened every time the first notes of his ringtone sounded. What emergency had befallen them? Was someone hurt? It was easier when they all lived together and he could count heads every night. Sometimes, many times, he missed that.

As he closed his book he took a cleansing breath, talking himself down from full on leader mode. Maybe it was just Raph calling with the outcome of the meeting.

The phone rang again as he picked it up. It _was_ Raph. Hopefully it went well and Anton and Alli were in the clear... and hopefully his brother and sister hadn't lost their temper with the faculty... and maybe his super-strength sister didn't crush everyone to dust. Yes. It can't have gone badly. He was calling with good news.

He was.

"Are you gonna answer that, or are you trying to wake me up on purpose?" Karai grumbled, pulling her pillow down over her head. "And shut off the light. You don't need it to talk on the phone."

Ignoring her muffled grousing Leo answered, "Hey, Raph how'd the meeting go?"

Instead of a reply he could hear his brother and sister arguing. He sighed, waiting for a break in the banter. Typical.

"And what's that?" He heard Raph snap, then he could hear Zoe's voice, but it was so distressed and just far enough back he couldn't make out what she was saying.

He'd better redirect his brother's attention and find out what was going on. Maybe the meeting hadn't gone well and they needed support. "Raph? Are you okay?"

Instead of answering Raph barked at Zoe more. "It will, once we've decided how to handle it. Right now, somethin' this big, it ain't the time to test my brother's maturity level."

Leo's heart skipped beats. The words brother and maturity level used together could only mean one brother. "Raph? What's going on? Is Mikey okay? I thought he was working? Raph?"

Zoe was talking again. He wished she'd stop long enough for Raph to answer. How was he supposed to help if no one would tell him what was wrong?

Zoe's voice fluctuated in volume as she gave a speech long enough to be one of his own, then Leo very distinctly heard the five words, "Then we'll call Leo back."

"No," he said firmly though it seemed neither of them was listening. "Do _not_ call me back. Tell me what's going on _now_. Where are you? What's wrong? Someone answer me! I can't help if you won't talk to me!"

There was a stretch of silence, all three ways as Leo could almost visualize his brother and sister glaring at each other.

Leo's patience was dependent on control, and he could not contain it if he couldn't assess the situation and form a plan. "Someone answer me or I'm calling Donnie and we'll track you down. Is something stopping you from telling me? Should I call him? Somebody tell me something!"

There was a muffled sound as the speaker rubbed over fabric and he could make out the tone of Raph's voice.

Karai was now wide awake, sitting up and wiping the sleep from her eyes. "What's going on? You sound like your having a leader tantrum."

Leo tried to make out what Raph and Zoe were saying. He needed to get them to talk so he could assess, so he could do something to help.

"Raph, tell Zoe to wait a minute so you can tell me what's going on. We're a team, whatever it is we'll get through it together. You know what you're doing right now is the protocol for me gathering the entire family and hunting you down because I can't tell what defcon level were on if you don't tell me!"

Karai put a hand on his bicep, squinting her eyes against the light. "Leo, stop yelling and tell _me_ what's going on."

Leo debated one of a dozen courses of action. Did he call Donnie first? Yes. Did he gather the family? Not until he and Donnie had done some recon. How much longer did he wait to act? Was something keeping them from talking to him? Maybe-

His thoughts were interrupted as there was shuffling and static then Raph's voice came through loud and clear.

"Leo, something happened."

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho returned to consciousness slowly, first becoming aware of intense body-wide pain, or at least torso-wide anyway, that was inexplicably fading at a surprising rate. Was it the matriarch? She'd suspected the woman to have abilities along these lines, but experiencing it first hand was something else.

She was a little surprised to find that she wasn't dead or waking up back in an EDF lab for reprogramming. K2 must have been forced to abandon her. That was a good sign.

Though it left the question as to why her enemies were healing her. She doubted that she'd earned that much credibility and assumed they would have more pressing concerns at the moment. Perhaps the battle hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped.

For the moment it was all conjecture as she was trapped for the moment in her own head. Her cybernetics were slowly coming back online, very slowly. Though, given the direct charge she'd absorbed, she was looking her system was booting back up at all. If the technology hadn't been Kraang-make, it probably would have been fried beyond repair. Acknowledging that, it was still very frustrating. Without her neural interface to link her organic brain to her mechanical body, she had no access to her senses of sight, smell and sound and had no way to move her mechanical skeleton.

A few more systems came online and her vision returned. Sort of. It appeared her sight was obscured by something. She didn't have long to consider that before a sharp pain spiked through her lower back. It would have been a relief to be able to react to it, but she wasn't that far along yet. At least she was helped by her somewhat-high pain tolerance, a side benefit of her creation and training, though she did not feel inclined to thank the EDF for it, since it was less a reduction of her ability to feel pain and more a perception of most pain being less significant when compared to what she'd already experienced.

As the blow transitioned into a dull ache, her auditory sensors crackled to life, delivering a static-filled version of the sound around her.

"Stay down. And start talking." It was definitely the matriarch and she did not sound happy.

Sappho willed her jaw to move, but received no immediate response from her body.

The pause was followed by another kick. This was going to be a problem.

Another round of system rebooting filled her eyes with error messages. That wasn't good. She tried to move again. Her limbs remained immobile, but at least she managed to unclamp her jaw, if only a little. Her mechanical vocal cords were operating at only twenty percent capacity, but it would have to do.

Sounding like badly damaged audio file, she finally managed to strain out a response. "Don't. Say. Anything. You. Don't. Want. Them. To. Hear."

229\. Looking at the cyborg reminded Phoenix very much of how the Kraangdroids used to look to her softened vision. They were a glow of life at the torso, even when covered by their synthetic skin and their business suits. But the rest of them shone with something less intense. It was greater than normal inorganic matter, like a rock or a building, but not a bright as a true living thing. This woman below her did something very similar.

She squatted next to the woman, her face very close to her ear. _They hear everything,_ she recalled, and just now she'd said the same thing. She glanced up and down her body, trying to determine what she should do. She'd told her that the others would be here, trying take her family members. Which they did. And now she was warning not to say anything that anyone would hear. She decided to take the direct approach. "Where did they take Denim and Alli?"

The woman's mouth opened, but all that came out was static.

"I can heal you," she said. "If you tell me where they took them. Otherwise," her voice was very quiet, her lips near her ear, "I feed you to my daughter, who will swallow you hole, digest you slowly, then spit out all the metal parts. They'll be shiny and bright. And you'll be dead."

TSOTCTSOTC

It was on rare occasion and with very specific prompting, usually on April's part, that Donatello ever went to bed early. Ever. This particular night he'd found himself talking _her_ into taking a night off from AFE planning, for them to actually eat dinner together.

"My how the tables have turned." She smiled, wrapping her fingers around his tie, then pulling so he lowered his face to meet her sparkling blue eyes. That's when she whispered a counter offer he couldn't speak to refuse, not that he wanted to.

Hours later her head was tucked in the crook of his arm, her bright red locks strewn over his shoulder; shining like fire in the moonlight filtering in through their window. He watched her breathe, the peaceful rhythm paired with her warmth soothed him the same way one of her amazing massages would. She was good to him, for him, as incredible as the day they'd met.

He exhaled a happy sigh, savoring one of many moments shared with her that he'd dare imagined as a teen, but never expected to come to fruition. His cheeks hurt from grinning like a love struck fool, grateful that she never failed to surprise him. He ran his fingers through her hair and she hummed a sweet sleepy noise he enjoyed.

Of course he should've been working. He had plenty enough to keep him jacked up on coffee and energy drinks while he solved a dozen different problems, or at least tried to. His muscles bunched and quivered, his lungs tightening beneath his plastron. April let out another sleepy sound, moving her arm so her hand rested over his bicep. Instantly it all melted away, there was no where else he'd rather be.

It was in the split second that followed when both his and April's phones lit up with a text. In the moment it took for him to decide he'd ignore it, at least for another few minutes, it started to ring.

"Wow, a text and a call. That's never good." April rubbed her eyes as he opened his arms so she could move about freely.

"No. It isn't." He frowned, twisting a bit to his right and reaching out to pick up both his and hers. He handed hers over without reading the text. Seeing it was Leo calling he sat up, already feeling the muscles in his neck tighten. Whatever it was, he hoped that at the very least no one was injured. "Answer Leo," he commanded the phone. There was a bling then the line opened. "What's going on, Leo?"

TSOTCTSOTC

"Where did they take Denim and Alli?"

If she could have, Sappho would have blinked in surprise. She tried repeating the question to confirm that it wasn't some auditory glitch caused by her malfunctioning system, but her vocal cords shorted and she only produced static. Damn.

Clearly K2 had failed in his primary objectives, but to take the ordinary humans, of no value to the EDF. Ordinary and valueless to the EDF, but precious to Arcos's family. He was going to use them as bait to get what he really wanted.

"I can heal you, if you tell me where they took them. Otherwise," she could feel the Phoenix's breath brush against her ear as the woman's low voice crackled over her strange audio feeds, "I feed you to my daughter, who will swallow you hole, digest you slowly, then spit out all the metal parts. They'll be shiny and bright. And you'll be dead."

Sappho supposed the threat was intended to be motivating, but she could only feel a deep and encompassing exhaustion where there should have been fear.

Death didn't especially frighten her. The parts of her body that could be considered a person belonged to someone who had died years ago, so technically, she had already lived more than her allotted span. And having died once already, the prospect was not particularly intimidating. Recalling the dreams of the girl who died in the fire, the dying had been terrible, but death itself hadn't seemed so bad. At least now she could shut off her barely functioning physical sensors to ease the process of dying.

Not that she truly believed they would kill her. Yet anyway. She was their primary clue to their missing family and doubted that they'd let that go until they were absolutely certain they couldn't get anything out of her.

She would have told them if she could. She remembered how much Arcos had seemed to adore his nephew, niece and baby brother during her discrete observations. She'd return his missing family to him if it were in her power to do so, but K2 and K76's handlers had probably already made alternative hideout arrangements as they were fleeing the scene. There was no way they'd go back to the apartment they'd been using. Not after her betrayal.

K2 was thorough, but he might have left some useful clue behind in his haste to cover their trail. It was worth a shot.

She tried once more to give the address, but all she managed were a few random vowel and consonant sounds amid the bursts of static. Useless.

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey dropped down onto the landing of his final delivery for the evening. As much as he enjoyed going around and meeting new people, even if a lot of them were kind of rude and didn't seem to realize that the pizza's he delivered were his own recipes even if these particular batches weren't actually made by him, he couldn't wait to get home to Alli and Denim and hear how everything was fine with school now.

Ringing the doorbell, he bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited impatiently for the door to open. When it finally did, he was struck by a blast of deafening music and his bouncing shifted unconsciously to move to the beat.

The college-aged girl with short, spiked green hair, lots of piercings and clothing full of intentional rips and tears blinked down at him in confusion. "Are you here for the party?"

Trying to ignore that her pupils were two different sizes, something he'd learned the hard way made for an extremely unpredictable opponent on patrol, he shook his head. "That sounds super fun, but I'm kind of working," and he really just wanted to get back home, "so here's the pizza you ordered."

The girl pouted and began counting out the cash with more difficulty than the task warranted.

"Who is it?" Another girl approached, squeezed into a tank top and miniskirt two sizes too small at at least, her long, hot pink hair in disarray. She draped her arm over the first girl and looked him up and down, the attention causing him to step back to put more distance between them.

"Ooh, he's cute and he brought food. Invite him in." She spoke too loudly in her friend's ear, but still struggling with the cash, the green haired girl failed to notice.

"I tried." She counted the same set of bills for the third time in a row, coming up with a third completely different answer. Mikey could sympathize. Despite what Donnie insisted, he knew that math could be a tricky little devil.

"That's cuz you haven't given him proper motivation." Punk haired girl reached out to trail an acrylic nail down his arm, her words coming out thick and slurred. "Come on in and I promise you'll have the time of your life."

She winked at him and he jerked away from her touch.

Her friend wrinkled her nose. "Eww, you are a total sicko. Can I watch?"

He immediately shoved the pizza boxes in the pink haired girl's arms and grabbed the cash from the green haired girl, hoping that it was the right amount.

"Gottagothanksbye!" Mikey darted away at top speed to the nearest alley, stopping to catch his breath only when he was sure that he was well hidden and couldn't be followed. He decided he preferred the people that straight-up didn't like him. At least it wasn't creepy.

His phone rang and he about jumped out of his shell, before wildly juggling the phone from his belt to his head.

"Hey Leo, wassup?"

"Mikey, don't freak out."

How had Leo known about his last delivery? He scanned the rooftops to see if his brother was up there somewhere watching.

"I'm not freaking out and don't you dare slap me."

Leo sighed into the phone. "I haven't done that since we were teenagers and in my defense it worked."

"Except that I wasn't being hysterical and was totally right about the robots with alien brains their chests."

He pouted.

"I don't think you're hysterical and I'm not going to slap you. Can we just move on?"

"Oookaaay." Mikey answered hesitantly, drawing out the word. Leo not being direct and to the point was usually a bad sign. He was probably going to get home late tonight.

"Before you react to what I'm about to say, I need you to remain calm. There was an incident at the school and we're going to meet up there to..."

The school? Denim and Alli!

Ignoring the remainder of the call, which was mostly just Leo yelling his name, he started running.

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix watched Raph and Zoe, with Anton in tow, emerge from the school building. She put her fingers to her lips, running from the cyborg to them. She was sure that the robot was out for the count, she didn't think that the robotic parts were functioning. "She said that they hear and see everything," she whispered. "I don't know who they are. But we need to play it safe." She glanced behind her. "I don't think she's doing anything, but have you called Donnie already?" 

"Yeah," Raph said. "We've called everybody, they're all on their way over now." 

"Shhh," Phoenix waved her hands in front of his face. "Keep your voice down." Her expression turned worried. "I don't know if her brain is functioning or not. I've got her vital organs going strong, they're fully healed, but her head is all fuzzy looking. I don't know if there is a human brain in there or not, and it appears her vocal unit isn't working. We need Donnie here." 

"She tried to save me," Anton said, looking over at her worriedly. 

"Fat chance," whispered Raph. Zoe slapped him on the shoulder. 

"I know, Anton," replied his grandmother. "She warned me that there was an ambush..." She blushed, following the random directions that her inner voice gave her probably lead her to the cyborg in the first place. How many times had she ignored it. How many other people had been hurt because she had? She shook her head. "We can't leave here." 

"If she sees and hears everything, we can't take her home," Zoe pointed out. 

"We can take her to the old warehouse," Phoenix said. "It's safe, deserted, and I think whomever she's working for will have a lot of trouble finding it." She sighed. "And it's easily abandoned."

If his reason for leaving the apartment wasn't so dire, Leo might've enjoyed the excuse to strip down of his street clothes and run across rooftops masked and katana wearing.

City air rushing across his face as he ran full out, leaping and tumbling between rooftops, was cathartic. It also gave him time to form some semblance of a plan, but the details would have to be ironed out and he wasn't sure how much they had to go on. From what Raph was saying one of the enemy remained, though Anton had argued that for some reason. Why? Ugh. He hated trying to piece together events. He needed to be there already.

He was about to push himself harder when a flash of purple and scarlet caught his eye coming up on his right. He must've slowed as Donnie and April closed in because Karai ran smack into his shell. "Ow! Shit, Leo!"

He motioned two fingers to his right as Donnie and April came up alongside them.

"Well you could've said something," Karai grumped.

Leo tipped his chin so he could see her on his flank. "Don't usually have to. Got something on your mind?"

Her jaw shifted. "Just Alli and Denim."

"Have-you-heard-anything, since-sending out- the call?" April panted.

Leo frowned, making a mental note that his _entire_ team needed to attend mandatory training and conditioning at least once a week. If he enforced it then they'd have to put forth the effort into maintaining their conditioning, that is if they had any hope of keeping up with him.

Obviously training wasn't everyone's priority. Why didn't they understand the threats and take their own safety seriously? For _that_ matter why did Raph and Zoe leave Denim alone? Especially after last week.

He resisted the urge to pinch between his eyes, already feeling the beginnings of a migraine.

"You said something about a cyborg of some sort," Donnie said, keeping pace with him.

"Yeah." Leo's eyes roved the uneven rooftops ahead, picking up movement in at least three different places.

Donnie saw it too, his hand lifting, ready to reach for his bo, before looking again and resuming its pumping motion as they ran on. "Is it Kraang tech?"

"Don't know." They were all heading into the same direction. He recognized Meduas's whip-quick slither and dart, Aries head down charge, and Arcos' heavy frame, his long fur bouncing as he leapt across a rooftop.

The four merged with the three, and quick, tense exchanges of eye contact took place before one by one the questions began.

"How long?" Aries asked from somewhere behind Leo.

"Not sure," Leo replied. "Raph will have a better idea."

Arcos deep voice came next. "Do we know who, or why?"

"Apparently, Alli's teacher or the aide? I'm not sure." There was new movement ahead, the frantic kind that he didn't want arriving before him. He stepped up his pace again, actually feeling a burn for the first time since he could remember.

Medusa darted ahead. "Are we sssssure sssshe didn't realize there wasss an attack and took cover?"

If only it were that. If only, then he'd merely have to figure out who was responsible for the attack and how they would go about stopping them from trying anything ever again. But this... Raph said they were after Zoe _and_ Anton. Which meant whoever they were, most likely EDF, knew far too much about their family. Enough to infiltrate the school... Enough that they just stole two of their family members to use as leverage... to what outcome? To exchange for two others? His fingers curled into his palms. They would never let that happen. The EDF had to know they'd never agree to it. So what then?

He could see Michelangelo clearly now as they merged a final time, coming to a halt in a row of eight looking down over the damaged school rooftop.

There was a mess below, debris mostly, as it looked like his mother had the injury side of things well in hand. Zoe appeared a little charred in places, but Anton seemed relatively untouched and Raph was on his feet. As his gaze fell on what must be the cyborg he heard Arcos gasp then Mikey... _growl_? He had to look at his brother to be sure he'd heard right.

"Where's Denim and Alli?" Mikey yelled down to their family, then ran for the fire escape without even looking to his leader for explanation or direction.

"Mikey, wait!" Leo called, rushing to catch up. Since when was he faster? Damn. He wanted to talk to Raph first, avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, have a look around, and question the witness so he'd be able to explain it all to his little brother. How had he gotten there at the same time? He'd called him last, thought he had time.

And why? Why didn't he plan responses for the variety of his brother's reactions, of which, with this being his most fragile and unpredictable brother, there could be dozens. When would he master leadership so everything wasn't always worst case scenario? When would he have the answer for everything? After all they'd seen, done, and survived how did life even have anything new and unexpected left to throw at him? When would he be ahead of the curve not scrambling for the upper hand? When. Would. That. Happen.

It had seemed reasonable to call Mikey and gently break the ice on the matter, he had a right to know. But he hadn't expected his little brother to not let him finish talking the way he had. And he thought Mikey would run to _him_ , begging his big brother to say it was going to be all right and that no one was hurt.

But as Mikey's feet hit the ground before him, Leo began to question everything he thought he knew.

In that moment he was only certain about one thing. This couldn't keep happening. After they got Alli and Denim back, and before they could lose anyone else, they were going on full lockdown mode, no ifs ands or buts about it.

TSOTCTSOTC

They all stood quietly waiting, not willing to risk giving the EDF more ammunition than they already had. Zoe's finger's twitched as she fought against the desire to finish the prone woman for what she had tried to do. No matter how she pushed back, it kept clawing its way to the surface.

Much as she wanted to, she couldn't. This fallen enemy could be their only hope of finding and retrieving Denim and Alli before the EDF had the advantage on her and Anton. But the memory of what almost happened awoke instincts that were not easily suppressed.

"Don't mom."

Her eyes flicked to Anton and she noticed that both Raph and her mother were staring at her. "I know."

To keep herself busy while she waited, she turned away to search the rubble for her lost tessen. The last thing she clearly remembered before everything went hazy was being taunted with it by the woman who was as much hope and threat.

Narrowing down the most likely location she might find it in base on their positions during the fight, she finally laid eyes on it, just as their family started arriving. Wanting to get it back before the inquisition set in, she crouched and reached for it, freezing as the scent hit her.

She knew that cloying smell, emanating from her tessen. The mere memory of it made her nauseous and caused her hands to tremble. It was a weapon designed specifically for her. For a moment, she was trapped in that tableau, resisting the urge to retreat within herself as the scent brought back the experience of past reprimands best left repressed.

Then April was by her side, gingerly lifting the tessen as she rummaged through her messenger bag, pulling out a plastic baggie to deposit the fan in, diminishing the smell enough for Zoe to move again. "I'll soak it in bleach and get it back to you."

Zoe nodded stiffly, grateful that her sister seemed to sense what she needed unasked. But the presence of the chemical residue left one thing unequivocally clear. Their attackers had come prepared specifically to take her.


	49. Chapter 48

Henry Battle replayed the feed, three different screens showing three different sets of K-eyes. He leaned in closer when a familiar figure, one he was not expecting, came into K76's view. She touched the turtle he'd been fighting, and Battle noticed the growing swelling in the terrapin's wrists not only stop, but go down. A dark green bruise that was building on the turtle's shoulder also disappeared. The turtle he was fighting then fled the area, Battle could see in another screen he'd gone to help his mate. But, as the feed came in, his golden eyes stayed on the tango between the K-unit who'd infiltrated the school, and Phoebe Hamato. She dodged his strikes, made strikes of her own, cutting through the synthetic skin. She did two impressive back flips, to take out...was that a slingshot? Shots were fired, and one of the cameras on the K-unit's feed went out. Whatever rock she'd thrown had hit home.

He laughed out loud. "Isn't this a nice, little surprise?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho lay waiting, blind and paralyzed as her remaining senses faded in and out at random while her various systems periodically crashed and rebooted. Of all possible outcomes of her predicament, she hadn't anticipated becoming bored, but all she could do was wait in near sensory deprivation, so, in retrospect, it wasn't surprising.

Her hearing burst briefly to life, revealing an array of new voices but cut out again before she could identify any particular individuals. Then her olfactory senses came back online and a familiar scent, singled out by her mind from all other incoming data, seemed to envelope her. The skin of her right arm sent intermittent signals of a course fur brushing against it.

Present sensation blended with past memory, filling her with an irrational sense of comfort and safety and she could feel her core muscles, the only ones she could actively control at the moment release their tension. At least, for now, she had this.

TSOTCTSOTC

Donnie set his duffle bag of equipment down next to the prone woman. At first glance, she appeared to be an ordinary human being, but, given what went down here tonight, that couldn't possibly be the case.

Arcos crouched at her other side, resting a large paw on her arm as he looked down at her. The action struck Donnie as an odd behavior towards an enemy, but he didn't have the attention to spare analyzing it now. His brain filed it away for later examination.

His fingers ran along her flesh as he lifted her head to examine the scorch mark on the back of her neck. It didn't feel exactly like real skin, though the discrepancies could be rationalized by anyone not interested in paying close attention. It reminded him of the false skin of the Kraangdroids, though it wasn't a true match for that either. Pressing the burn mark, he was surprised to see the flesh reform and the soot smudge away. Remarkable.

Setting her head back down, he applied pressure to her shoulder, noting that the joint beneath was too rigid and inflexible to be bone. A metal endoskeleton, maybe.

Near the shoulder, he could feel where the fake skin transitioned into real flesh. Subtle, but noticeable. Watching the slow, shallow rise and fall of her chest with each breath, contrasted against the unnatural stillness of her head and limbs, he realized that her torso wasn't robotic at all, but more like that of a living person. Why?

"Can you fix her, Uncle Donnie?"

He glanced up to see Anton standing next to him, frowning down at the woman.

Before he could ask why his nephew cared so much, Anton answered him. "She was trying to save me."

Somewhere out of Donnie's line of sight, Raph scoffed, but Arcos's head snapped up to regard Anton at the admission.

Before he could answer Anton or inquire further, his mother stepped up to them. "She said that they could hear everything she heard and see everything she saw. Be careful what you reveal around her."

Donnie felt the resentment that he'd been carrying around since Denim's last attack flare up, despite his attempts to quash it. _Not the time or the place. Parents have lives outside their children, especially their adult children. You're a grown turtle, act like it._ Despite his mental remonstrations, his response, the first time he'd spoken with her since that last phone call, came out almost clinically detached in tone.

"If she is automatically broadcasting data, I have a signal jammer capable of blocking it." Though he avoided looking directly at her while speaking, he could tell that she was regarding him thoughtfully while he dug through his back seeking the aforementioned device.

Locating the jammer, he quickly pulled it out and started scanning for whichever bandwidth the girl might be broadcasting on. With his tech, it didn't take long to find. Though she was transmitting only intermittently, it was enough to be concerning.

"Hmm, so their using UHF for the wireless data transfer."

"What is that? Can you block it?"

He didn't even look up from the screen of his device at the sound of Leo's voice.

"Of course I can. UHF, ultra-high frequency, is between three hundred and three gigahertz on the wireless spectrum, although hers is specifically using the four hundred to seven hundred megahertz band."

"And that's relevant because?" Leo asked, his tone diplomatic, though clearly not pleased with the flood of information that didn't mean anything to him.

Donnie responded as he set up the device to block all incoming and outgoing signals to their captive. "It's relevant because that band of UHF is exclusively reserved for television broadcast. Whoever she's communicating with is either very clever with technology or has permissions from the government."

"The EDF?"

"Most likely."

At that moment Mikey burst out of the school. "They aren't in there."

"We already told you that." Raph snapped at him, appearing to immediately regret the reaction at Mikey's crestfallen expression.

"Where are they? Does she know?" Mikey pointed that the woman they were now surrounding. "Why isn't she telling us where they are?"

Donnie met his little brother's wide, panicked eyes. "She's broken right now."

Mikey grew even more hysterical. "Fix her already so that we can go save them!"

Donnie sighed. "That will require what, to an observer, would look like dissection. This is probably not the best spot to do it."

"We already considered that. We'll relocate to the warehouse." Phoenix answered, forestalling any debate.

Arcos let out a growl, quiet and disconcerting.

"What?" his mother asked, as everyone but Donnie turned to him.

"Nothing," he said in his grizzly voice.

"It's something," she pressed.

"You don't growl for no reason," Leo said.

"This is the cyborg that attacked me the other week."

"Well," Raph said, rolling his eyes, "this just keeps getting better and better, don't it?"

"I do not believe this is the place to discuss this," Splinter's voice broke through everyone's chatter. "Let us get her to the warehouse, and see what we can do for her."

"How are we going to get her there?" Donnie asked. "We need a vehicle."

"I'll carry her," Medusa offered, her thin arms sweeping under the body and lifting it up. "Uh, she's heavy!" Despite the size of the snake's appendages, she was by no means weak. However, her strength had never been in her arms. Leo and Arcos helped to bring the cyborg to a sitting position, so that Medusa could slither under her, encircling her in her coils.

"Uh," Aries baaed, "I'm going to go make sure the warehouse is clean, so we have somewhere to put her."

Phoenix looked at him suspiciously, but said nothing as he climbed a fire escape, leaping across the rooftops away.

"I guess that's the fasted way to get there," she said.

Leo nodded, ready to be up on the rooftops again. "Yeah. Come on, team."

They were all on the rooftop in an instant, Donnie and Arcos were flanking Medusa on either side, and each of the others, save for Mikey, seemed to break off into pairs. Karai was at Leo's left, a little behind him. Raph and Zoe were side by side, Anton in his father's arms. Donnie and April flew across the rooftops, one a little ahead of the other as if slowing and speeding up in waves. Splinter and Phoenix were the only ones not side by side. Splinter lead the way, with Yuuta clinging to his back, and Phoenix, being the slowest, took up the rear.

TSOTCTSOTC

Arcos glanced at the prone body of the woman in his sister's coils, the back of his mind niggling at him. Of course, he remembered her from their fight, having raked her across the abdomen in order to end it. But there was something else about her, something that tickled at the back of his head, but he couldn't grab it to bring to his conscious awareness.

 _She tried to save Anton._ He turned to look ahead of him, leaping across the space between two rooftops. He didn't know why, but he hoped his mother and Donnie could save her.

He knew there was plenty of space, clean space, at the warehouse, as he and Medusa had scoured it when they arrived. He'd forgotten how dirty their feet got when dust was all about. A few vagrants had obviously used the place in their absence, needles, beer cans, liquor bottles, and condoms littered the lower floors. The top floor had things moved around in it, but since he and his sister moved back in, no one had bothered them. And if they did, Aries always took care of it. With his head undeniably sheep like, his lurking in the shadows made Believers out of many people who had left the Christian faith.

When they arrived, they all sung into the top window, which was par for the course. Arcos was relieved for it, if they'd seen the clean state of the rest of the warehouse, they might have gotten suspicious.

Until his mother said, "This place looks awfully clean."

"I cleaned it," Aries said, pulling a bed out of one of the bedrooms. "Can't have it dirty when we're trying to heal someone."

"You seem very nervous, my son." Splinter eyes him, squinting. Yuuta sung down from his father's back, so that he was being held on his hip.

Arcos suppressed a groan.

Shaking his large head, Aries affected a serious look. "Nope," he replied tightly. "Nothing to be nervous about."

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe watched as Donnie dove into what looked exactly as he described it would. Like a dissection. Her eyes met April's briefly as her sister handed one tool or another to him without him asking. Phoenix and Arcos stayed close. Phoenix most likely to heal what little biological matter might be affected by any adjustments Donnie might make. As to why Arcos cared so much about the cyborg that he'd apparently fought weeks ago, she didn't really know. And had the robot woman not saved Antonello and possibly had information as to Denim and Alli's whereabouts, Zoe would just assume pull the plug on the bitch. Her anger crested then waned and she sighed. That wasn't what her family had done to her when she'd first came to them, and that was after four of them witnessed her slaughter over a dozen Foot soldiers. Maybe this woman deserved a chance to speak for herself too.

"Mom, I'm hungry." Anton's stomach growled audibly as if reinforcing his needs.

"Oh, there's some cereal in the kitchennnn," Aries offered, his voice trailing off as Medusa and Arcos both glared at him. "I mean there _might_ be something. Uh, come with me Anton, we'll find you something."

Phoenix and Splinter exchanged curious glances before Phoenix returned to her work and Splinter followed Anton and Aries. Yuuta squeaked something Zoe recognized as he was coming with, following close behind them.

Zoe never took her eyes off the cyborg.

There was so much metal.

The space surrounding her was filled with Donnie's voice speaking scientific babble she could only understand every fifth or sixth word of, while Raph and Leo were trying feebly to placate Mikey, though Raph's attempt sounded more like his typical grouching. He really should just stop talking, and she should stop him, but rather than drift toward the trio she made her way past a lingering Karai and Medusa to step into the open space at the foot of the table.

What division of EDF was this? What had they done to a human being, if the woman had been that? And had they done this to hybrids, mutants, or the rare Kraang Legacy experiments? The possibilities were endless, and the results could create some lethal opponents. Because there weren't enough of those already. Zoe inhaled. Who was this woman, before this, and who was she now that made her strong enough to double-cross her creators? Zoe searched the mess of metal and wires, seeking something natural where the essence of the woman's soul might dwell. _What are your intentions?_ _You don't have to be awake to tell me that. At the very least I will know if we can trust you._

"Zoe, be careful what you touch. There's exposed current near her heart, you could get shocked."

She ignored Donatello's warning, dropping two fingers between the woman's eyes and two others over her heart. The noises of shuffling feet, brotherly tension, and echoes of bits of furniture shifting above her, it all faded away as she focused on her breathing and allowed her energy to envelop the spirit on the table.


	50. Chapter 49

TSOTCTSOTC

Karai stood near Medusa; both women watching Donnie disassemble the cyborg. Was it a Kraangdroid? It didn't look like the same tech. What kind of human volunteered for an experiment that turned them into whatever she was? This was crazy even for them. From what she could tell the woman was both machine and human being. While part of Karai was in awe of the wires and veins working together to create some semblance of life she really wanted to _do_ something to help. But healing and repair were under Phoenix and Donnie's talent scope, not hers.

Her phone vibrated at the same time Zoe seemed to glide between her and Medusa. Karai's chest constricted as she reached for the damned device. Everyone in her family was in this room, so unless Denim was calling this wasn't going to be good news. Since she was pretty sure Denim would call Mikey, not her, her teeth ground together as she stuck her hand in her pocket to silence it. Almost immediately it buzzed again.

Medusa's head tipped in her direction, shifting from the works happening on the table. Zoe appeared to be getting her empath on and Raph had stopped talking to watch when Donnie warned her she might get a jolt. She didn't, which was kind of anticlimactic, a zap might've done Zoe a little good.

As Karai silenced her phone again it started right over.

Damn it.

"Do you need to get that?" It could be difficult to read Medusa's expressions at times, but Karai new suspicion when she saw it. Double damn.

"Yeah, it might be one of the AFE volunteers." She feigned a smile, pulling her phone out. "I'll be right back." She backed away, turned and made her way into the hall.

The screen shown bright against the unlit hallway and it took her eyes a second to adjust. It was another video message. Those were the worst. They left her stomach churning and the hairs on her neck standing on end. This one was no exception. There was no audio, but a video that seemed like some edited version of the attack at the school. It jumped around to each family member as if… Shit.

It was like she was watching the fight through the eyes of their enemy… which meant, the bitch on the table might have information about whoever was harassing her. Where the EDF and AFH connected? She wheeled around, ready to march through the door when two things happened at once. One, she realized she had to be very careful what she said and how she went about it. No one could know about her stalker. And two, an annoying alarm of some sort began blaring from somewhere in Michelangelo's vicinity.

"What the hell is that racket?" she blurted out, rejoining her family.

From across the room Donatello and Michelangelo each seemed to pale as their eyes met. Mikey's mouth opened and closed while he made that ridiculous whining noise. All the while his phone began making the same irritating sound as the watch type thing around his wrist.

Donnie licked his lips and swallowed then slowly returned his attention to the cyborg. "It's Denim's alarm."

"Well shut the damn thing off," Raph snapped, reaching for Mikey's wrist.

"Wait!" Mikey shouted. "Wait, D, can't you track her with it, if she's wearing hers?"

Donnie frowned, not looking at Mikey as he answered. "Mikey, we can try, but if it just went off and hers is set that loud, whoever has her is doing to destroy it. Our best shot is still right here."

Then Mikey's mouth snapped shut, while Zoe lifted her fingers from the cyborg's body, announcing, "For what it's worth, I think we can trust her."

Karai watched as her sister's gray eyes set on the woman's face. "We might be made differently, but I don't think that what we want for ourselves varies by much." She turned away from the table, walked by Raph up to Mikey and put a hand on his arm. "I am so sorry, Mikey. I want you to know that." Then her hybrid sister walked right past him, swept by her, and went out the door Karai had just entered.

"What the- Zoe! I know that look!" Raph jogged past her next, following his mate.

Karai's jaw ached she was clenching so hard. What a damn mess. From kidnapping, to hybrid drama, to cyborg drama, to-

Leo's voice pierced her thoughts. "We need to talk."

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho lay still, not that she had a choice, as she'd done many times before during upgrades and repairs at the EDF, incapacitated but still conscious each time. The EDF left her brain running to get feedback from it. As for her enemies, it probably was not a priority. It was fine. They were taking greater care not to cause her undue discomfort, interestingly enough. There wasn't any good reason why, beyond it simply being a fundamental difference between them and her creators.

Since most of her nervous system had been disconnected at that start of the procedure, she didn't have much of a sense of what was going on, but given the background she had on Donatello, he should be more than competent at repairing or dismantling her, depending on what his goal was. All she could do was stare at the ceiling with unmovable eyes, catching occasional glimpses of the limbs of anyone who moved into her field of vision.

Out of her peripheral vision she could just make out the edge of Arcos's arm. He hadn't left her side since arriving. Though she wasn't sure why, she found that knowledge inspired a warm sensation that somehow suffused her, despite her having no sensory means of detecting the feeling. But it was pleasant nonetheless. And she took comfort in his presence. No matter what was being done to her, she found that she could endure it better with him there. As he had in the faded, broken memories of the girl who'd died in the fire, he made her feel safe, even if she was completely at the mercy of people who had no reason not to hate her.

And then Zoe's face filled her field of vision, the hybrid's hand reaching for her face. An unfamiliar pulling sensation followed the physical contact, as though something were being tugged out of her. She didn't understand. With her nervous system disabled, she shouldn't be able to feel anything. She hadn't felt the brush of Zoe's fingers on her forehead. Why could she feel this?

Whatever this new feeling was, she did not like it. It made her feel exposed, vulnerable. Not unlike when K2 had been prying into the inconsistencies in her behavior while she attempted to change her thoughts and feelings.

Unable to do anything to escape the sense of violation, she instinctively reached for the warm, safe feeling that Arcos inspired and imagined cloaking herself in it as though it could form some barrier or shield to protect her.

Then Zoe and the unpleasant experience were gone. She wasn't certain exactly what happened or why, but was glad that it was over. If she could have, she would have breathed a sigh of relief. What was all that about?

TSOTCTSOTC

Donatello worked with absolute focus, tuning out the rest of his family and defending against distracting inquiry with a continuous explanation of what he was doing that he doubted anyone understood. He trusted April to keep him supplied with the tools he required, her intuition able to inform her of what he needed, and his mother to mitigate any inadvertent damage to the woman's human tissue.

Thankfully, no one had bothered attempting to speak to him since he'd started and Anton had been the only one to ask anything.

" _Is it going to hurt her?"_

 _The scalpel in his hands stopped, hovering just over the cyborg's skull. "I highly doubt it. She was made to be a super soldier and while I'm sure she has the capability of knowing what I'm doing to her, but it doesn't make sense that her creators would want to risk her being debilitated by traditional pain."_

 _Anton blinked at him. "So it's not going to hurt her then? You're sure?"_

 _He frowned, wanting to reassure Anton, but not wanting to lie to him. He was relatively certain but not absolutely. "How's this? The first thing I'll do is disconnect her neural interface so that she won't be able to feel anything while I'm working on her. Then we'll know it won't hurt."_

 _Anton considered that for a moment before nodding._

It had been fairly easy. While the cyborg's design was technically unique, it was still fundamentally Kraang technology, a field in which his knowledge could be considered comprehensive. All the wiring and even the neural link between the living brain and circuitry, despite being in the head instead of the chest, were essentially identical.

Fortunately, he had everything he needed with him, more by luck than planning. Since he only ever cleaned out his bag when it became too cumbersome to move around safely with, he typically had way more in both quantity and variety than he needed at any given time and it was paying off now in terms of tools and parts that could be adapted to replace the pieces ruined beyond repair.

Slicing open her forearm, he immediately pinned the skin back, having learned the hard way early on that if it wasn't held out of the way, the false skin would immediately reseal over any cut he made the moment the ends of the slice made contact. He'd just begun removing the fried wiring when Zoe pushed her way into his space.

"Zoe, be careful what you touch. There's exposed current near her heart, you could get shocked."

Unsurprisingly, she ignored him and proceeded to place her fingers on the cyborg's head. If she got shocked, it would be her own fault and he was sure his mother could handle it.

Shutting out Zoe's psychic reading, he turned his attention back to the cyborg's arm, the last limb to be repaired before he could try firing her up again and seeing how she worked. He'd gotten all of the bad wiring out and started installing replacement's when his phone alarm sound off, began vibrating at his belt at the same time Mikey's alarms began to blare, one on his phone and one built into his watch, in case he misplaced his phone as he was prone to doing. Damn. He'd been hoping to avoid this until he had something else to offer his little brother.

"What the hell is that racket?" Karai's voice set the inevitable in motion.

He reluctantly paused in his work to answer. "It's Denim's alarm." Maybe it would pass unnoticed and he could finish first. With that hope in mind, he turned his attention back to the cyborg. If the whole system weren't so interdependent, he could have merely fixed her head and neck and been done with it, but of course it couldn't be that simple.

"Well shut the damn thing off." Donnie could sense Raph moving towards Mikey as he spoke.

"Wait!" Mikey shouted, looking at him hopefully. "Wait, D, can't you track her with it, if she's wearing hers?"

He frowned, avoiding Mikey's eyes. "Mikey, we can try, but if it just went off and hers is set that loud, whoever has her is doing to destroy it. Our best shot is still right here."

He didn't have the heart to tell his brother that was the first thing he'd tried when Leo had called him. Unfortunately, their enemies were using a signal scrambler, not unlike the one he'd used to block the cyborg's transmissions. Denim was untraceable by phone, though her connection went in and out enough that they'd been getting delayed updates to her health monitor as data packets intermittently made it through. Good thing he'd built so much redundancy into that system.

He hadn't wanted to try anything too aggressive to follow the information back to a source for fear of revealing it to their enemies. Something that would have been demanded, had he brought it up himself. There'd been some comfort in knowing that Denim was alive and not in a state of severe physical distress, but that link was about to be gone leaving them with only the knowledge that her health was crashing. Damn. He needed to finish the cyborg fast.

Zoe's voice broke through his panicked efforts to finish, "For what it's worth, I think we can trust her. We might be made differently, but I don't think that what we want for ourselves varies by much."

He paid little heed as his sister moved away from the table. Time was running short now. No matter what he needed to get this done as soon as possible.

TSOTCTSOTC

Arcos watched as Donnie did his magic. He was nothing short of miraculous when he did this kind of thing. It really was awe inspiring. What the turtle was doing at the moment looked no less complicated than if he were performing surgery on a breathing, bleeding person. Only, this person wasn't bleeding, and was barely breathing.

"She's getting plenty of oxygen," Donnie assured him, annoyed when he brought it up. "She's in a sort of low power mode. I think."

'I think' hadn't made Arcos feel any better.

Why he needed to feel better, he wasn't entirely sure. For some reason, what happened to this cyborg mattered. More than just finding Denim and Alli. It mattered because of that sense of familiarity he was hit with when he first fought with her, raked his claws over her torso. It hit him again when he saw her on the ground at the school, surrounded by debris. But, for the life of him, he could not remember where he knew her from.

He didn't know many humans at all, not enough to find one truly familiar. His roommates, _former roommates,_ he reminded himself, perhaps. Or Jennifer. His chest seized so that he gasped a little, blinking rapidly.

Donnie looked up, a look of concern on his face, but then immediately turned back to the cyborg, April handing him a thin instrument that resembled a pair of tweezers.

 _Arcos stroked her long, golden hair, that looked very much like sunlight shining off her head. She turned to look at him, her big blue eyes smiling. "You know, Arcos," she said, "maybe we should skip dinner with your family tonight."_

 _Arcos laughed, "We can't do that," he said. "We've already said we would come."_

 _"Then let's cancel." She sat up, twisting so that she was facing him, her face alight with excitement. "Let's cancel, and do something special. Just the two of us."_

 _"We don't have a valid excuse to cancel, Jen," he said, stroking her hair back from her face. His claws gently scraped her skin, and she closed her eyes and shivered._

 _"I love it when you do that," she whispered._

 _"We can dodge out early," he said quietly. "Or get there late, but we can't not go."_

 _Opening those sky blue orbs, she leaned in, kissed him on the mouth. "You're going to have to let go of that motley group you call your family some day," she said with a sensuous smile. "You can't stay a momma's-boy forever."_

 _"I'm not a momma's-boy," he argued, pouting slightly._

 _She caught his lip in her teeth. "Then show me."_

He shook his head before the memory could go any further. He looked about him, his entire family was here, now bigger than it was back then. The two who made it increase in size, though, weren't present. But the rest of his family was, the whole lot of them. They were a motley crew. But they were his. Unlike Jennifer, they were always there for him.

Just as they were there for Alli and Denim.

And for this cyborg, who seemed so familiar, that blinked.

He wrinkled his brow.

"Donnie!" He was sure he saw it this time. "She's blinking."

As if in one accord, everyone around her looked at her eyes.

TSOTCTSOTC

Splinter was observant, when he wasn't angry. And he wasn't angry now. After years of contemplating the world around him, of keep hidden four rambunctious boys, of trying to integrate two family units, and then readjust to human society as a mutant himself, he was observant. And he observed Arcos' reaction to the cyborg from the very beginning of this debacle.

The bear was worried, something he rarely was. Of course, he didn't need to be, he was bigger than most people around him, could storm his way through almost any situation. If was ever in need of money, now that they lived like everyone else, he had only to ask the member of his family who happened to be 'most wealthy' at the time. Sometimes it was Donnie and April, sometimes Medusa, and occasionally Aries. If neither of them had money to spare, Medusa always took on an extra job or two, capturing a bad guy that was worth several thousand dollars, and gave the money to whomever needed it. He suspected that she'd paid Donnie and April back several of their expenses when they'd been forced to fork over the moolah for the family. Which was usually.

But while Arcos tended to brood, something that Splinter found highly disturbing, and always had, he did not tend so much to worry. And rarely did it show on his face. But it did now, looking down at the cocoa skinned woman with short black hair, who was, indeed, blinking.

"I think I've almost got her back online," Donnie said painfully, as if he were trying to squeeze his way through a small tunnel.

While Splinter was observant, so was his wife. Only she appeared to be observing something completely different than her ursine son. "Why are there crumbs on the floor?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe stopped short in the hall, Raph huffing and puffing after her. She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against the wall. She was getting a damn headache.

Mikey hadn't said a word when she apologized, not that she expected him to. Well she'd kind of hoped he'd yell at her. The fact was as she'd walked up to him she realized he was doing something highly unusual. He wasn't saying much at all.

She found that unsettling, maybe even preferred that he come loose. But beyond him snapping at Donnie to hurry up and fix the cyborg, and suggesting that his brother try to track her by her watch or cell phone, it was Raph and Leo that had been doing all the talking. She hadn't bothered listening to what they were saying. But if Raph didn't shut it, he was going to end up punched. Maybe even by her. She rubbed her face. He probably felt guilty, she sure as hell did.

"I know that look," Raph repeated coming to stand in front of her. "It's your ' _I'm_ _about to do something crazy'_ look, and now ain't the time for your solo act. So talk." He crossed his arms, scowling at her as if her leaving the room had inconvenienced him.

Well she didn't ask him to come with. In fact she wished he hadn't. He should be with Mikey. She needed to process this whole mess… and come to terms with what she might have to do about it.

 _Damn. Why didn't I go to the bathroom with them? But if I had, would the EDF have Anton right now?_ She chewed on her lip. She shouldn't value one life over the other, but in truth she was relieved they failed to take him. Who knows what they'd do to a born mutant-hybrid? Her stomach clenched into a knot. What were they doing with Denim and Alli? Surely a human child had no value, but depending on what was happening in EDF labs, a woman pregnant by a mutant could easily become a lab rat. Bile rose in her throat and she swallowed hard, not wanting to consider the horrors.

She imagined a wall in her mind to stop herself from reliving her lab experiences, instead shifted her thoughts to their one potential source of information. The cyborg. Her energy was surprisingly human, everything that makes up a soul, only wrapped in a metal container… She was filled with hope and warmth, there was no malice, not toward any of them anyway. In fact mid-reading the cyborg's energy reached for Arcos and his for her; as if she wanted him to hide her, and he wanted to keep her safe. This could mean a couple different things that she wasn't prepared to form an opinion about. Instead, with her brother's energy merging with the cyborg's and distorting her reading, she'd stopped, opting to simply take note of the connection.

"… And I need you to keep your cool in this. You and Anton don't go anywhere without me. Zoe, are you even listening?"

Raph snapped his fingers in front of her eyes. She hadn't heard anything prior to his lockdown announcement, but it was pretty much a speech she'd heard dozens of times before. Besides, she anticipated lockdown after this, but had no intention of obeying it. In fact, there was something she could do if the cyborg didn't pan out.

A chill down her neck and across her shoulders causing them to shiver.

It would be a last resort. But if it protected Anton and saved Denim and Alli, she'd have to do it. She just hoped it didn't come to that.

"Donnie!" Arcos yelled. "She's blinking."

Hoping they were about to get some answers, Zoe darted by Raph.

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo's voice pierced Karai's thoughts. "We need to talk."

Damn the timing on Leo's need to talk. She could be eating, sleeping, taking a bath, or they could be in the middle of a kidnapping getting ready to interrogate an enemy, potential turncoat, and Leo's wants to talk. Well not tonight. Besides he was starting to ask too many questions as it was.

Karai popped a hand on her hip and cocked an eyebrow. "About what? Shouldn't you be preparing to interrogate the witness?" She definitely had some questions for her. Hopefully her family members would ask some of them so she didn't draw any attention to herself, or slip up. Not that she ever would. But she had to be careful, the EDF and AFH had been two separate thorns in their sides. If they were connected in any way, then whoever was harassing her was someone powerful.

"Donnie!" Arcos' deep voice raised an octave, bringing everyone's heads whipping toward him. "She's blinking."

As all eyes shifted to the cyborg Karai's feet moved of their own accord bringing her front row and center for whatever happened next. Leo appeared on her left, Zoe and Raph on her right.

TSOTCTSOTC

A humming sensation passed through her as Sappho felt her systems go through another, final reboot before system analytics informed her that everything was finally reconnected. Although she still had no voluntary motion, thanks to whatever had been done to impede her sensory receptors, her body began running through automatic testing and diagnostics, most of which went unnoticed until it got to her eyes. If she were hearing correctly, the blinking seemed to have caught the room's attention.

"Donnie! She's blinking." Arcos's voice rumbled over her as everyone crowded in close.

"I know. Hang on, I'm just finishing up." The turtle working on her answered from somewhere beyond her line of sight.

"Can she speak yet?" She recognized that voice as belonging to Leonardo Hamato.

"Just a second. For our safety, I'm only going to unlike her ability to move from the neck up." As he spoke, Donatello did something and she could feel her senses returning. Her eyes could move again and her jaw unclenched. She looked around the room to see all eyes on her.

Leonardo started to speak, but Michelangelo beat him to it. The younger turtle leapt up onto the table, grabbing her by the throat, lifting her up and forward despite her weight. His eyes were narrowed and covered by the nictitating membrane that she'd only seen slide into place during combat. Each word was short and clipped, unusual for the normally verbose little turtle. "Where. Are. They?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know." She knew that this wasn't what he, or any of them wanted to hear. They'd probably been counting on information from her.

A short knife seemed to materialize in his hand. "Liar. Tell me!"

He started to slash down at her torso when Arcos caught his hand, just as the blade scraped across her ribs. "Maybe Leo should handle the interrogation."

Michelangelo glared at Arcos for a second before pulling his hand free, dropping her and jumping off the table. His knife clattered to the ground as he threw it aside while stomping out of the room.

Bolstered by Arcos's defense of her, she opted to volunteer what little she knew. "All I can tell you is where we were based, but I'm sure their handlers would have arranged a new location for them as soon as they were aware of my betrayal. I'm sorry."

TSOTCTSOTC

Yuuta watched the adults fussing about the cyborg woman, and then his brother Mikey storming out of the room. Aries' eyes were glued to the theatrics going on before him. He shook his little ratty head, and pulled Anton on the arm. The little turtle looked at him questioningly. Yuuta slipped his hand into his nephew's, and pulled him toward the window. With his snout, he motioned the kitchen window.

Anton hesitated a moment, glancing behind him at the grown-ups, before nodding and following his little uncle out into the night.

Yuuta squeaked, pointing in the direction they'd come and raised his hands in a questioning gesture.

Anton nodded, "Yeah, I can get us back to school."

Then, the two of them were gliding from shadow to shadow on the ground, like shades of something once living, passing people who never had an inkling that they were even there. They may have been little ninjas, but they were ninjas nonetheless. And Yuuta knew there was a reason he was a ninja, and it was his job to protect his family, especially those members who could not do so themselves. And while he had experienced the magic of being a mother firsthand, he had also experienced the lack of fighting skill mothers had. He had not yet figured out if mothers had fighting skills before they become mothers, and they disappeared afterward or not. Zoe still seemed to be able to fight like the rest of the ninjas, but he suspected that she was an even better fighter before she had Antonello. His own mother, he was told, was a worthy adversary, but no one in the family ever sparred with her, which he suspected was because she would lose hands down. "You must protect your mother while the two of you are out," his father told him on more than one occasion, smiling as he said it. "You know she gets herself into trouble." So, he did try to protect her. He hadn't had to actually do it yet, but he was prepared for the day when it came.

He had made a mental note to keep very close tabs on April and Karai's fighting, so that when they had children, he could see how much their fighting prowess diminished. Perhaps having the magic of being a mother made you fight less. He saw the dots, but had not yet figured out how to connect them all.

However, Demin could not take care of herself. That was obvious. He'd known it from the start, really, because she was a mother and had that mother magic. But now it was confirmed as he and Anton approached the ruin that was the side of the school building.

"They were inside," Anton said, "in the bathroom."

Yuuta pulled at the door, and the two of them entered the building. Anton lead them to the bathroom, where Yuuta stood in the middle with his little hands on his hips, his muzzle pointed up, smelling. He opened each of the bathroom stalls, then came back to the center of the bathroom.

The problem with adults, he'd discovered, was that they did not look very hard. They made the assumption that they knew where an object was, and therefore, they weren't able to find it. His father was always telling them, all of them, during classes not to make assumptions about the world around them, yet every adult he knew did exactly that. It was why they were not good at finding things. And why he was.

He could see the dent in the floorboard where there had obviously been a scuttle. Walking over to it, he pointed, Anton joining him. The two of them looked simultaneously to the window just above it. Yuuta leapt up onto the sill, the window was pried open, and on the side of the sill were three strands of red hair. He looked down at his nephew and smiled. Anton joined him as the two of them crawled through the window and out into the night.


	51. Chapter 50

All eyes shifted from the cyborg to the doorway Michelangelo had stomped out of.

"What just happened?" Raph was gaping. "I'm- wh-did-" his eye ridges lifted and dropped. "Was that our brother?"

"I-" Leo cleared his throat, taken aback by his little brother's outburst. He knew something was coming, Mikey's silence was unheard of, but for him to be so quick to go straight for the kill- and he'd meant to, without a doubt. If Arcos hadn't stopped him- this wasn't good. "Medusa, Arcos go after him. See that he doesn't get into trouble."

Medusa slithered towards the door pausing when her bear brother refused. "I want to stay here."

Leo followed Arcos' gaze to the cyborg. He didn't understand what that was about, but he needed someone tailing Mikey or his problems would be compounding fast. "Fine. Raph, go with her."

"I'm perfectly capable of going alone." Medusa let out a low hiss. "Besides, he'll only slow me down."

Raph scowled. "Says you."

"We stick together, no less than pairs for any of us. Karai, you go with her." Surely, Medusa couldn't argue that her serpent sister couldn't keep up. Only this time it was Karai who refused him.

"I want to stay." Her gaze never left the cyborg.

What was wrong with everyone? Sure the cyborg is interesting but so is keeping the rest of their family safe! He pinched between his eyes, focusing on his breath. _I've got this. I've got this. There's no time! Mikey could be long gone by now!_ "I'm sorry- I thought I was the leader here!" he heard himself yelling, "Raph, go with Medusa, now!"

He didn't look at either of them as he turned on the cyborg. "As for _you_ , give me the address of where you were staying."

The woman blinked, taking her time in giving an answer. "They'll have it cleaned before you get there."

Leo's brow furrowed, his eyes narrowing into slits. "Address!"

The cyborg's features remained smooth, unshaken by his outburst. "Great View apartments on Laird, unit 4B."

"Aries, Zoe, and April, check out the apartment." Leo came around from the end of the table, stepping in between Arcos and Donnie to bring his face right up to the cyborg. "I have a few more questions for our guest."

April let out a soft moan as she brought her hand up to her face. Great, what was her argument going to be?

"What is it, April?" Donnie reached out, putting an arm around her.

She rubbed her eyes then looked at Phoenix. "Something's wrong, do you feel that?"

Right as Phoenix went to reply Zoe's voice came from behind him. "Aries, where are the boys?"

Leo looked around and had to will himself not to curse. They should all be working together to find Denim and Alli, but not only did they have three extra family members in the wind, they were going to have to divide their resources to find them all. Why couldn't anyone just wait for and follow orders?

Well this new disaster decided what one search party would be regardless of suitable skill sets because there wasn't time to argue about it. And they would argue if he didn't let them go. _And_ of course Arcos had picked now to become unreasonably stubborn when he was usually one Leo could count on to be practical.

"New orders. Medusa and Karai have Mikey and that is not up for negotiation." He ignored Karai's scowl, knowing that he would pay for this later.

"Raph, Zoe, Mother and Sensei will track the kids. Aries, April and Donnie, take the apartment, unless you think you can pull anything more out of her?" He looked to April as he asked.

She shook her head. "No. She...she wants to cooperate."

He nodded. "Good. Arcos and I will see if there is any more we can learn from her. Check in every half hour or when you have something. Let's find our family."

TSOTCTSOTC

As Denim gasped for breath, her throat burning with stomach acid, she kept her eyes on her captor. His skin was torn on his face, revealing such a metal skeleton beneath she was inclined to believe he wasn't human at all. Yet he bled from his torso.

The way she was positioned, her torso flat against the bed and her neck holding her up her head over the side of the bed, she became aware of the collar Alli had mentioned. It wasn't light and her neck muscles ached from holding it up. She was afraid to move with terminator-man staring at her, but it hurt to hold the awkward position so she inched back toward Alli. But as she turned her head to try and keep her captor in her line of sight but get Alli in her periphery, her skin pulled against something sharp digging into her neck. "Ahh!" she cried out before she could stop herself. Instinctively she moved to bring her hand up to touch it, but pain jolted through her broken arm stealing her breath away.

"Mommy!" Alli cried. Gigantic tears clung to her lashes as her big blue eyes darted over her mother. "What's wrong?"

Denim willed her heart to stop pounding, keeping her eyes on the creature that had infiltrated her daughter's life. "What the hell have you done to me?" She panted her words, gasping for breath amid the throbbing of her arm and the air stinging the wounds in her neck. It didn't help that every breath felt like a kick to her broken ribs. How she hated broken ribs. They took forever to heal, before Phoenix at least. She'd have to do something special for Mikey's mother when this was over. Hell, how was she going to get them out of this?

He turned his back on her as if she wasn't worth his attention. The bastard. Her teeth ground together and she blinked hard desperate for the growing pressure in her head and chest to stop. It made the pain worse. Crying was useless anyway. As she took deep breaths willing the pressure away she glared at the back of his fake human head. He seemed to be repairing himself.

She inched back, taking shallow breaths. Alli made room for her as Denim used her feet and her good arm to get herself upright. The cyborg's hand stopped moving, then resumed once she quit shifting about. She hooked her good arm around Alli pulling her close. She wanted to lower her face to her daughter's hair and breathe her in, to squeeze her tight, hold her against her shoulder and tell her everything was going to be okay. But the best she could manage was one arm desperate to melt her into her side.

"Mommy, you're hurting me." Alli squeaked.

 _Oh! Oh gods!_ She released her. "Oh, Baby, I'm so sorry. Is anything broken?" Denim tried to turn her head to look Alli over but something sharp dug into her skin. "Gah!" she snarled, turning her torso toward the cyborg. "What did you do to me?"

K76 ignored his captive's outbursts of indignation and pain. Only attempts at either flight, attack or self-termination warranted his notice as any one of those could affect the outcome of his mission. He allowed the woman to fuss over the child she appeared to have injured and focused his attention towards the hand mirror on the desk in front of him. This would be easier in the bathroom, but he could not leave his charges unattended in this dingy hotel room that his handler had procured for him in a neighborhood where people wouldn't ask any questions if properly compensated.

Slowly, piece by piece, he pressed the torn flesh of his face back into place, holding it long enough to reseal. Unlike K2, he had enough left that he wasn't going to need to be delivered more. Until replacement parts arrived, K2 would need to go around with bandages, not subtle, but better than letting people see him as he was. There were some minor repairs that he could manage on his endoskeleton, but he wouldn't be fully functional again until he got those parts. At least they already had the collar for the hybrid in case they required additional means to keep her subdued. It had turned out to be essential in containing the woman who seemed to have manifested increased strength with her mutant pregnancy.

With his face once more looking passably human, he split the skin of his damaged arm open with his combat knife and began removing the pieces that were beyond salvaging. With some creative engineering, he could at least make the limb mobile again. As he worked, a message from K2 ticked across the top of his vision.

 _Initiating audio link._

Good, he could work and listen simultaneously with greater ease than having to read a flood of messages.

 _"Is the bait secure?"_

He pried out another piece before answering in thought. _"Yes, the woman and child are restrained at our new base of operations. Is the apartment cleared?"_

 _"I'm having a team sent out to take care of that. I've been tracking the mutants harboring the targets. They aren't at any of their known locations, but a backlog of traffic cam footage has the bear, snake and ram frequently heading towards the industrial district. I'm working to narrow down a more exact location now."_

He stretched a metal coil to connect the ends of the area he'd just cleared out, not especially strong or stable, but minimally functional. _"Understood. I'll keep the hostages until you're ready to use them."_

 _"According to the reports, the target seemed most attached to the girl. We'll start with her and keep the woman if reserve in case we need her. I'll come for the girl when I have located the target and have a means of luring him out. In the meantime, use the device you found equipped to the woman to maximize their anxiety. They'll be more pliable if desperate."_

He pressed the skin of his arm back together, fusing the wound away. _"I'll take care of it. What of the hybrid and K8?"_

 _"Once the target has been acquired and delivered, we'll work on recapturing the EDF's remaining property for reprogramming. Should that not prove feasible, we are to destroy them. EDF technology is not to fall into outsider hands. I'll inform you when I'm coming to take the girl."_

The message cut out, no longer requiring him to divide his attention between the communication and his surroundings. While his leg was damaged, he could still walk, so attempting to repair that could wait.

On the desk, among his tools, lay the woman's watch and phone, both connected to the electrodes affixed to her body. Rather than destroy them outright, K2 had instructed they be saved for future use, despite the minor risk of being tracked. With the agents monitoring it, they should have reasonable warning if anyone tried. He'd blocked most of the signal, but knew some was still getting through. It was time to take advantage of that.

Watching the devices, he sent a mental command to the collar. He could hear her scream as the charges of electricity pulsed from the collar into the nodes implanted in her neck. The screams were intense but brief, followed by the frantic cries of the child with her. As soon as the woman collapsed, temporarily incapacitated, the alarms on her phone and watch began to blare. He let them continue, until he was certain that some of the signal made it out. Then he picked them up, crushing both with the clench of his fist.

White hot current had coursed through Denim, jolting her blood and causing her muscles to seize. She couldn't think anything beyond, 'Will it ever end?' on repeat, until it stopped as abruptly as it started.

She could hear Alli's shrieks but couldn't move anything to answer them, only taking comfort in the fact that they were in concern for her, not because she was in pain from Denim having squeezed her too hard.

Alli had promised her that the split second Denims one arm hug had gotten the slightest bit tight she'd squeaked, because she knew if she waited mommy might accidentally hurt her. This revelation had made Denim both relieved and sick to her stomach at the same time. The past week, since hurting Mikey, she'd spent pushing everyone away in fear of hurting them. She'd promised Alli she still loved both her and Michelangelo but she couldn't risk injuring them. And how fast she'd forgotten her own promise when her heart ached to hold them both.

As she lay slumped over in a heap that disrupted her already badly swollen arm, her breaths came in laborious inhaled and exhales, her heart flopping madly in her chest as her muscles twitched with aftershocks. Involuntary tears slipped down her cheeks as her thoughts drifted to her unborn baby. The poor little one was likely gone from being fried twice now.

What should she do? What would Mikey want her to do? She opened her eyes, blinking away the wetness as Alli blurred into focus and just beyond her sat their captor.

"I know-" her voice cracked. She cleared her throat and licked her chapped lips. "I don't know why you've taken us. Honestly, I don't care whatever the reason. And I know you don't care what happens to us. But, I'm pregnant and it'd be really great if you could quit shocking the shit out of me."

He didn't so much as tip his head in her direction and her one good hand clenched into a fist. "Listen to me you son-of-a-bitch if anything happens to my kids, I will end you."

Maybe provoking him wasn't the best course of action, but her threat seemed to fall on deaf ears regardless. What the ever loving fuck was wrong with this guy?

As the last remnants of her jolt subsided her need for medication became pressingly clear. Her fingers were trembling, even on her broken hand, her back ached and she began to shiver though she could feel sweat gathering on her skin.

What she wouldn't give for a gun right then. A gun. She rocked to her side, bringing weak legs up close so she could roll forward to her knees. Though her belly was small it put her off balance, paired with a broken arm and body in need of meds and it made the whole process difficult. All the while Alli sniffled and reached out to help her as best she could.

Upright, Denim scanned their attacker's desk, spying an assortment of tools. A screwdriver, various pieces of burnt metal, her crushed health monitor and cell phone. And there among a knife, along with a few devices she couldn't identify, was a handgun. Now she just had to get it in her good hand, control her twitching muscles and shoot this asshole.

Maybe she'd have better luck being a little friendlier to him. "Do you have a name or should I just call you Terminator, or maybe Robo-dude, or-" _Oh gods I sound like Mikey!_ She pulled her feet forward so she was sitting on her bottom with her legs hanging over the end of the bed, her captor just a foot away.

With him so close a familiar scent she couldn't put a name to drifted into her sinuses. The fragrance tugged at the back of her mind, producing some form of memory that begged to surface. She shivered, overwhelmed by the sensation as much as the way her muscles were trembling. She was cold, yet damp. She wasn't sure what kind of hell her body was tumbling into but she had to get them out of there fast. "I need medications, and food on a strict schedule. Look, whoever you are, let me help you. Tell me, what is it you want?"

K76 ignored the woman's varied attempts at engaging him, which had ranged from pleading to threats. As he needed no information from her, nor required her to do anything beyond stay put, it was not necessary to interact with her. He was only required to react to anything that might interfere with her or the child's use as bait.

Now that he'd restored the use of his arm, he debated working on his damaged leg. It was at least partially functional at the moment and he doubted that he could improve upon it without replacement parts. The woman had actually bent the metal framework.

It was time to deal with the wound in his side, inflicted by a sling bullet from the other woman who'd crashed the ambush. He'd not given it priority as it had not impaired his functionality which was the most important. Embedded in his abdominal muscle, no major organs had been perforated. It presented only pain, which he was more than capable of enduring, and minor risk of infection if not dealt with.

Stripping out of the collared shirt that he'd worn to the arbitration, tacky blood plastering it to his wounded side, he peeled it away from his injury and tossed it aside.

With his precision screwdrivers, he was able to dig the bullet out of his flesh, dropping it on the table with a wet, heavy thunk. From the bag at his feet, he retrieved an alcohol solution to clean the gaping hole along with a suture and bandage kit to seal and cover the wound.

As he sewed himself shut, he noted that the captive woman had inexplicably stopped talking at him. The child's silence as she watched with a mixture of disgust and fascination made sense, but not the woman's.

He frowned at her unreadable expression, regretting he did not have a more expansive visual library of human emotion. If she became unpredictable that could be a problem. He'd need to pay closer attention to her.

He was still ignoring her when he took off his shirt. Since he had yet to acknowledge her she didn't see his sudden stripping as a threat, especially when he began cleansing a wound Denim recognized to be Phoenix's handiwork. But as he was tending to the injury her world ground to an abrupt halt.

 _"We should not be playing down here." Even as she said it Denim couldn't resist picking up a lighter of her own. She held up the candlestick, running the flame up and down the length of it. The wax dripped onto the colorful puddle drying on the runoff below._

 _"Well, she said not to leave the yard." Kyle motioned to the house on the hill above the drainage ditch they were hanging out in. He held up a glass votive, dumping out the blueberry scented candle from inside it._

 _Denim's belly fluttered when the muscles along his shirtless torso flexed as he reached for another votive, ready to dump out its contents._

 _"You're such a firebug," she said, kneeling alongside him, her knees digging into the concrete. He was so close she could smell him, soap, sweat, and some kind of cologne she wished he wouldn't wear. His natural aroma was so good he made her mouth water, whatever that new crap was she'd like to burn it. He stood up, was moving around then stopped in front of her._

 _"You listening, Denni? I said get back or you'll get hurt. I'm gonna make this glass thing explode."_

 _What? She realized she was staring at the large flat mole beneath his rib cage when the rest of him blurred into focus._

 _"You're going to what? Kyle, those are your mom's votives. She's going to pissed we took her stuff, but if we break it- she'll never let you hang out with me again."_

 _Kyle's green eyes shone bright in the summer sun. He grinned and she felt her cheeks heat. In two strides his chest was against her camisole top, his flat belly against hers. He cupped her cheek, his breath ghosting her lips. "Denni, come on, with regional championships around the corner. We'd have to kill someone for that to happen. Trust me, she'll get over it."_

 _Denim ached for the pressure of his mouth on hers, but there was someone else. There was always someone else. She swallowed hard, lifting her gaze to meet his. "Yeah, well if you're not careful she's going to end up shooting your partner instead of letting me shoot with you."_

 _He chuckled as he pulled her in for a hug. "You worry too much, Denni. Come on let's blow some shit up."_

 _He reached in his jeans pocket, pulling out a handful of firecrackers..._

Denim chest pumped as hard as her heart was beating, her eyes locked on the flat mole beneath her captors rib cage, one with a long jagged suture scar crossing over it.

It couldn't be.

She blinked repeatedly as she slid off the bed and walked right up to the man.

It wasn't possible.

"Where did you get that scar?"


	52. Chapter 51

Medusa was out the window in a heartbeat, Karai at her heels. The girl changed into her snake form, the two of them darted across the rooftops. Medusa flicked her tongue, tasting the air. "I think he went that way," she pointed in another direction.

"If he doesn't want us to find him, he'll lose us," Karai groused.

"I know that," Medusa replied, "but if we can get close enough behind him, I can taste him."

Karai flicked her own tongue out, shaking her head. "I don't taste anything."

Medusa turned and gave her sister a sly smile. "That's because you're not a 'real' snake."

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix and Splinter flanked Raph and Zoe at first, the four of them looking for any sign of the two missing little ones. "They went this way," the rat ninja said, his head lowered toward the ground, watching for any sign of passage. While his two little pupils may have been stealthy for their age, they were not stealthy enough to avoid their master.

"Why in the world would they do this?" Phoenix asked, her voice on the edge of hysteria.

"They probably thought they could track down Ali and Denim on their own," Raph said.

"I know that," his mother snapped.

When the four of them began to run, their previous formation fell apart, with Splinter the head, being the quickest of them, and Phoenix falling behind, being the slowest. Splinter considered slowing down to allow his wife to catch up, but quickly dismissed the thought. His son and grandson were in danger, alone wandering in a city that would eat them whole if it wanted. He had to fight to keep panic from rising in his chest and catch in this throat. The others were grown now, on their own, no longer under his jurisdiction. Yuuta, however, and Anton to some extent, were still his charges, still his little ones to be protected. They could not survive in this city by themselves. But as they continued onward, Anton and Alli's school coming into view, dread began to make its way to his heart.

TSOTCTSOTC

What was Antonello thinking? Zoe didn't ask this question out loud, as Phoenix said a very similar 'why would they do this?' And Raph answered with the obvious.

The real question was whatever gave them the idea to go off by themselves when they'd not only been attacked just hours ago, but two of them had been abducted! Kidnapped! Like they may not find them. Like they might already be-

Zoe stopped herself from going there. The likelihood was that Denim and Alli would be used as bait. In which case they'd baited the wrong family. But in the off chance they should fail, she had a back-up plan. One that did not include her son pulling this!

She dug in deeper, pushing herself harder, and ignoring the pain in her semi-healed ribs. Phoenix was with them, she could ask her to heal her, but it would take away precious minutes. She had to push through.

Splinter directed them but it soon became obvious what path they'd followed. Straight to the school. It had been taped off with caution ribbon and the smaller chunks of debris had been removed. Had the principal seen the mess when he was leaving? Had he seen any of the fight? Zoe's breathing became erratic. Was he in on it? Was he there when the kids came? Had he taken them?

 _Get control of yourself Zoe! Focus. You can't panic, not until you're sure the EDF has him. You'll do him no good. Besides, you have a plan. They will be okay, one way or another._

Splinter made a flicker of eye contact with each of them, then the four spread out in different directions to search the parameter.

As she set off inside the school, Zoe went straight back to the crime scene. The bathroom door was still hanging on its hinges, but the stall door had been removed. She gripped the edge of the nearest sink, closed her eyes and breathed.

 _There's nothing in this space, save for the life force of two souls bound to me by an invisible thread..._

Her mind cleared as the energy within her rose to the crown of her head, the palms of her hands, and the center of her chest. With every breath the bubble grew, stretching into the world around her.

Raph's firey essence was close, the other side of the parking lot. He was struggling not to panic, his usually vibrant red aura was marred with smudges of light brown. She'd deal with him later. She reached beyond him, pushing her energy out farther than she had before. Tendrils of a stretching, pulling sensation burned in the back of her mind but she ignored them, stretching, searching, desperate to feel her sons ki.

 _I have to find him. I have to. I can. I will._

The invisible band strained like a ligament threatening to tear. Then she felt him, for the briefest second she caught just a glimpse of his bright white aura before he pulled away, as if to hide from her. She struggled to see him, to reach further but it was as if she'd hit a wall, something was blocking her... she was already beyond the limit of her tether and there was nothing...

All at once it was as if her rubber band had been stretched to far then released, sending her flying back into herself. She gasped for air as her spirit met with her body with the force of one of Phoenix's bullet casings, leaving her legs weak and her head spinning.

Leaning against the sink she panted, waiting for her breathing to slow and the searing pain in the back of her head to stop. That was when she caught glimpse of herself in the mirror. Tiny red lines spider-webbed through the whites of her eyes, and there were several pinprick red spots on her face, one at the corner of the outside of her eye and two on the apple of her cheeks.

 _Great. That will be easy to hide and explain._

She splashed her face with water, as if that could somehow erase burst capillaries. She avoided looking at herself again, eager to get back to Raph, Splinter and Phoenix, and ran from the bathroom, down the halls and out the front doors. "That way!" she yelled, pointing east.

TSOTCTSOTC

K2 immediately tensed, preparing to shock her again as she approached, but her behavior wasn't aggressive, though that could change in an instant.

"Where did you get that scar?"

He involuntarily followed her gaze to his side, staring at a mark he neither recalled or recognized. The jagged line of puckered skin through the blemish had been one of many dings that had simply come with his organic components. Irrelevant.

"Sit back down or I will incapacitate you and put you back where you belong."

The woman stiffened, broken out of her reverie, and her hand flew to her abdomen. Her eyes narrowed at him and she backed up, but not before glancing at the desk. Looking for a weapon maybe. So that's what she'd been trying to do. He'd need to be proactive in restraining her should she approach him again.

He finished taping the bandage over his sutured wound and seated himself in the desk chair. Nothing left to do but wait for either K2 or the replacement parts.

Inexplicably agitated from the encounter, his hand unconsciously began tapping out a rhythm on the surface of the desk.

Denim sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his skin, her mind seeking to reconcile every freckle as one of Kyle's. But it wasn't possible. It just wasn't. His hair was different, his eyes, nose and mouth, none of that was Kyle. Kyle was dead. He died. She dragged his body to the extraction point. She oversaw his funeral, though it was closed casket, because he'd been shot in the face.

This man wasn't Kyle. So what if he smelled like him, if he had the exact same scar, or if he was tapping out the rhythm to a song that had her wanting to scream. He. Wasn't. Kyle.

The man was evil. This was some sicko's twisted torture. This was a new level of cruel.

She shivered as much from this mindfuck as the cold. Was it cold? She glanced at Alli who sat gaping as she watched the man repair himself. "Are you cold, baby?"

Alli didn't look away from their captor. "No. I'm hot. It's stuffed in here. And I want to go home. I miss, Daddy."

"You mean stuffy?" Denim whispered, looking the man over. He began to accompany the familiar rhythm he tapped out by humming the melody.

"That's what I said. It's stuffed in here. Mommy, I'm hungry." While Alli began to whine, Denim's body warned her of it's coming apocalypse with fresh chills and tremors.

But the song he hummed, one she avoided since Kyle's passing, it burrowed into her ears, and swept down her throat casting a stone that choked her on its path straight to her heart.

 _"Oh, Kyle, turn it up! I love this song!" Denim stretched across the bench seat of his dad's_

 _67 Buick, turning up the volume on the radio._

 _Little wrinkles formed at the corners of his eyes as he gave her a half-hearted smile. "Why're you telling me to turn it up if you were just going to do it yourself?"_

 _"Oh, hush. I love the lyrics. Oh, don't miss the turn!" She pointed to the single lane dirt road and he pulled off._

 _She leaned back in her seat, watching rays of sunlight flicker through the car window. The little beams highlighted the strands of golden curls that she long dreamt of running her fingers through. He always had such a warmth about him, one that seeped into the bronze of his surfer skin. His eyes were flat though, dull and red-rimmed._

 _His poke at her had been the first thing he'd said in days. Mostly he'd shed quiet tears and tried to suffer his loss in silence._

 _He pulled up in front of an old log cabin and left the car idling, the song playing in the background. He stared through the windshield for a long while, then sighed. "Most people go to the ocean and watch the tide roll in and out after something like this." A sad smile crossed his face. "We go out to shoot." He shrugged. "Everything seems so surreal, like the colors are really bright yet blurry or something."_

 _He frowned and she waited quietly beside him, listening and watching as he sorted through his thoughts. "It's like I'm looking for her everywhere I go."_

 _His lip quivered and his eyes filled. After a few deep inhales and exhales he twisted in the seat, reached out and snaked an arm around her. He pulled her close, burying his face in her hair. "I lost her, Denni. But I won't lose you too. I can't. I couldn't go through this twice in a lifetime."_

 _His breath heated her neck and she turned her head, meeting his lips as he reached for her. He was hurting, his pain, his desperation flowing from his passionate searching of her mouth, and he held onto her like never before. She had waited for him for so very, very long..._

Alli tugging on her shirt and crying forced Denim into the present. And while their captor hummed the melody louder, her skin grew tight and uncomfortable. She closed her eyes trying to push down her building emotions to no avail.

Standing up from the bed she shouted, "Stop! Alli, stop pulling on me!" She tugged free of her daughter and wheeled around facing the evil man tormenting her. "And you, you sick, cruel bastard, stop with the song, and the cologne, and the scar! I don't know whose idea it was to plant everything about him on you but it's cruel and-" her voice cracked and tears filled her eyes. "Kyle's dead. He's dead. He's-"

Her eyes locked on the scar, memories she had locked away reeling through her mind on repeat. "Who are you and why are you doing this?"

TSOTCTSOTC

"Ugh. It smells like bleach."

April glanced over at Aries who was shaking his head as though that would dissipate the smell. Normally her mutant family could smell with much greater sensitivity than she could, but he was right. The acrid scent was burning her nose. Donnie was taking samples, but she would be surprised if there were any traces of organic material remaining. And if they'd already been this thorough she didn't have high hopes for fingerprints either, not that their adversaries were likely to be in any database that collected such information.

She began dusting the place anyway while Aries systematically searched the area for anything that might have belonged to the departed inhabitants, though it looked thoroughly cleaned out to her. As her hands completed the familiar task by rote, she relaxed her mind and waited to see if anything lingered here that she could pick up on.

It was faint but there all the same. None were completely human, though not devoid of humanity either. Their captive cyborg had been here, emanating fear and stress. Another was laced with ambition and cruelty. The third merely felt empty, with only the faintest echoes of personhood clinging to the imprint of consciousness. There was the vaguest sense of other people. Inhabitants prior to their enemies? Or maybe part of the cleaning crew, not here long enough to leave a good impression. She couldn't tell.

Letting her intuition guide here, she selected the cruel psychic impression and concentrated on following it. Sometimes this worked. Sometimes it didn't. Luck, or whatever it was that dictated the efficacy of her powers, was on her side today. Reaching out, she hit pay dirt.

April froze so abruptly that it caused Donnie and Aries to stop what they were doing and look at her.

She yanked out her phone and began dialing as she sprinted for the door. "We need to go. Now."

TSOTCTSOTC

K76 mostly tuned out the exchange between mother and daughter, focusing more on the woman's body language, waiting for her to try catching him off guard. He wasn't able to accurately interpret her behavior and expression and it was setting him on edge.

Breaking off speaking with her child, she abruptly turned towards him. "And you, you sick, cruel bastard, stop with the song, and the cologne, and the scar! I don't know whose idea it was to plant everything about him on you but it's cruel and-"

Her voice faltered and broke and he looked down at his traitor hand, curling it into a fist and immediately stopped humming. Why was he doing that? He'd never done it before.

Her eyes glistened with tears. If this was some kind of performance, it was effectively done. "Kyle's dead. He's dead. He's-"

She looked down at the scar she'd asked about earlier. "Who are you and why are you doing this?"

Kyle? There was no one in his catalog of known individuals who matched that name, and yet it sounded familiar. He concentrated, trying to nail down exactly where he'd come across it before, but all attempts ended in failure. It was a dead end. With no corrupted data file error message, the fault had to lie somewhere in the organic portion of his mind.

He did not like the confusion this raised. It detracted from the clarity of his mission and purpose.

"You are mistaken. Now sit quietly."

"But how...the scar, the song, the cologne..." Her voice trailed off.

Cologne? Headquarters had a box of commonly used personal care products for them to apply before and during a mission to better blend in. There'd been no partiality to his choices, right? He was fairly certain that he'd chosen whatever was at the top.

Maybe.

Bordering on angry now, he repeated himself. "I said that you are mistaken. Remain seated and quiet or you will be incapacitated."

A knock sounded at the door. Picking up the gun, he swept all the tools into his bag and cautiously approached the door, ready to fire through the thin barrier if necessary.

"Who is it?"

"Courier." The voice on the other side came back muffled.

"Code word?"

"Embankment." The courier answered without hesitation.

 _Confirmed_ scrolled across his vision. He tucked the gun into the back of his khakis and opened the door.

The nondescript man on the other side passed a large, heavy cardboard package to him. "Request fulfilled." Then the courier turned and left without waiting for acknowledgement.

From the size and weight if the box, he knew what it had to be. The replacement parts he'd been waiting for. Finally. He could start a full repair on his damaged limbs.

Denim's blood rushed hot then cold, beads of sweat gathering on her brow. Her stomach growled audibly, the noise followed by a gurgling, bubbling sensation in her belly.

"Mommy, I'm hungry and my baby sister's hungry too! Don't you hear her?" Alli crawled to the end of the bed where Denim stood, proceeding to tug on her mother's shirt again.

Their captor sat back down at the desk, opening the large box and beginning to unpack its contents.

"Mommy!" Alli whined. "My sister and me are starving to death! Don't you hear her?"

"The baby might not be a girl, Alli. We talked about this." Denim replied, numbly trying to tune out Alli's cries.

So far she hadn't gotten this man to tell her anything, somehow she doubted food was going to rank high on his list. Not to mention something _was_ happening in her abdomen, but she wasn't sure what, nor whether or not it was a good thing.

She sat down, closing her eyes as a trickle of sweat ran down her cheek. Her breathing wasn't right, her breaths coming shorter while the muscles in her arms and legs began to cramp. She lowered a hand to her abdomen, clearing her mind of Alli's demands, their not-Kyle captor, and her overall predicament, instead focusing inward.

After a few agonizing breaths she understood one very important thing. The little one within wasn't gone. She managed a weak smile. He or she was moving.

With her resolve strengthened by this revelation she set her focus on turning things around and getting them the hell out of there. She tried to straighten and square her shoulders as she opened her eyes, but while her will power was strong her body was already shutting down.

The muscles in between her shoulder blades seized, and pain shot through her vertebrae seeming to come out through her chest making every breath excruciating. She folded over sideways, coiling into a ball. "I'm going to die-" she panted, "without food and- meds."

Behind her Alli became hysterical, her demands for food turning into shrieks and screams as she pulled frantically at her mother. "Get up, Mommy! Get up! Please, get up!"

K76 glanced up from the box as the woman curled into a ball on the bed, while her daughter screamed for her to get up. She'd said she needed food and medicine, what would likely have been a ploy by anyone else, but he was well aware of the instability that accompanied human-mutant pregnancies.

He picked up one of the syringes of the EDF's experimental treatment for the condition, debating how long to wait. With her enhanced strength, he hesitated to get too close while she was remotely lucid.

The child screamed again and he looked up, seeing the woman starting to convulse.

And then the scene before him melted away into something that couldn't be happening now.

 _A much younger version if the woman, twelve or thirteen perhaps, was there in front if him, wrapped up in an old quilt on a bed. She shivered as he laid a hand on her forehead, burning hot. Suffused with inexplicable concern, he placed a cool, wet cloth over her brow._

 _"Mmm fine." She murmured sleepily._

 _"No you're not. You're burning up. I've got some medicine for you to take." He answered in a voice that did not belong to him._

 _"Medicine?" She asked before her eyes drifted shut._

 _"Denni? Denni!"_

"Denni!"

The vision cleared and he found himself, hovering over the prone woman with a now empty syringe. She was no longer shaking but still didn't look anything close to well.

What had just happened? He gripped his head with his free hand as he staggered back willing away the foreign sense of concern and affection that still lingered.

Her eyes flickered open and she taped at him, not seeming to understand what had occurred any more than he had.

He was going to have to submit himself for maintenance once this was over. Scowling, he tossed a couple of MREs from the box onto the bed and began pulling out the materials to repair his leg.

Slowly her muscles fell slack, making it easier for her to breathe. She was exhausted from the episode, as was par for every experience she'd had with them so far.

He'd given her something that stopped it, but how? And even more pressing- "You called me Denni."

He ignored her, though she noticed him look at her in his periphery. If she could just get him to talk...

She pushed herself upright with her one trembling good arm, noting that her broken one was a nasty shade of purple and swollen out to the ends of her fingers. The sight of it made her stomach turn.

Spying the MRE's she reached for one, but couldn't get it to stop sliding away while she tried to open it with one hand.

Meanwhile Alli had wrapped her arms around her and was sobbing. "I want to go home. I want my daddy."

 _I have to be patient with her. She's scared, and tired, and hell, I want to go home too. I miss Mikey._

She sighed as the unopened MRE fell off the end of the bed. "Dammit," she cursed, leaving it and reaching for another one. "Alli, you gotta let me go, baby. I need you to help mommy open this."

Alli sniffled. "What is it?"

Denim frowned. "It's military food. I gotta tell you it's not the yummiest, but it'll do the job."

Her daughter's face was tear-streaked from crying, her lips bright red as she sneered at the package. "I'm not eaten it."

"Eating," Denim corrected, fumbling with the new package, "And if that's the case you're not that hungry. But I am, like you said your baby brother or sister is hungry."

"I am too," Alli pouted.

Denim ignored her daughter's complaints, knowing that if she continued to acknowledge them it would result in more crying and tantrum throwing. She looked to the familiar stranger, trying to piece together the impossible similarities between him and Kyle. "Who told you my nickname? Only Kyle called me that. Did you know him? Does this whole thing have something to do with The Untainted again?" She picked up the MRE, "But that doesn't fit, this is military issue. _Who_ are you?"

His teeth ground as she mentioned the name Kyle again. Every time he heard that word it felt like he'd forgotten something. Something important. And he did not like the sensation at all. Losing important pieces of data was the hallmark of a flawed system and he was cutting edge. He could not wait until this mission was complete and he could have the unnerving anomaly repaired.

He stood, stomped over to the fallen MRE, struggled to scoop it up with the hand on his damaged arm and sliced it open with a blade that extended from the fingertip on his working side.

He tossed the open package back at her, striking her lightly in the chest with it as she sluggishly moved to react.

"I said that you are mistaken. There is no Kyle. Now, be silent."

Fidgety with agitation, he returned to the desk and dumped the box of parts and his bag of tools, beginning to work on his leg with more aggression than the task required. Just a little longer and he'd be done with this. The malfunction could be repaired and the experience disregarded. Just a little longer.

Denim bit off the end of a squeeze packet of peanut butter, squirting it onto a cracker before handing it to Alli. "You like peanut butter, it's yummy."

Alli blinked red-rimmed eyes, her bottom lip jutting out. "We were going to make daddy a pizza." She crossed her arms and scowled. "Before mean old Mr. Downs put us in time out."

"Alli, I don't know when we're going home. I need you to eat something, baby." Denim sat the cracker beside her daughter then opened a second tube and prepared one for herself. She bit into the dry, tasteless carb, noting the peanut butter topping wasn't horrible. It would buy her some time. Her arm throbbed and she tried to remember not to use it at all. She wanted to sleep, needed for Alli to sleep, and she needed to think.

This guy wasn't giving her any answers. So far, nothing she did had gotten him to talk, though her seizure had gotten him to act. She could try talking to him, but she didn't want to sit there and feed him information about her. Though it seemed like he had a lot already, and it was personal. If he infiltrated the school, taking on a role as teacher's assistant in Alli's class then he had to be associated with either a threat from her past or a threat to the Hamatos.

What did he say when he attacked them at the school? _"I came for the game changer. But it looks like I'm leaving with a consolation prize."_

If they were the consolation prize who was the game changer? He infiltrated the school… he didn't come for them. Anton! He was after Anton!

 _Okay. Okay._ Denim took a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm.

Who had military authority and would want Anton?

She watched him work on his leg, his shirt still off, the scar seeming to scream at her.

Who had military authority and made human beings into robots?

Human beings.

Into robots.

She grimaced. Who volunteered for that sort of thing? Ugh. Surely, no one. Yet it seemed someone-

Her eyes darted to the scar.

Denim dropped her cracker as her stomach lurched. She covered her mouth and darted for the bathroom, gagging and dry-heaving into the toilet. _I'm never going to get to take another breath._ _I'm going to suffocate in this hell._ Then finally, she could. Exhausted she slumped over, pressing her cheek against the cold tile. Her eyes were wet from throwing up, but they stayed wet for the possibilities coming together.

Alli appeared over her, crying again. Denim knew she should answer her, but the sounds Alli was making were blurry and distant. Or was that her own voice, trying to reply? There was a terrible reality forming, one that took precedent over her throbbing arm, raw throat, her pounding head, blurry eyes, and even Allison's crying.

Somehow the EDF had gotten their hands on Kyle's body and they Frankensteined him into the creature standing behind her daughter. _His_ daughter. His. "His daughter," she murmured, fresh tears filling her eyes. "His."


	53. Chapter 52

Sappho lay prone and unable to move on the table where most of the family had left her, her thoughts ringing through her head. The child, the target, was gone. Alone. Or near enough anyway. After everything, he was going to run out and get himself caught. She hadn't prevented anything. Damn.

Leonardo stepped up to the side of her across from Arcos, watching carefully the bear mutant's protective posture. She wasn't sure he was even aware that he was doing it, though it made her want to smile. Not that she thought doing so would be a good idea at the moment.

"You came here hunting Zoe and Anton? The EDF found them when he registered for school?" Leonardo looked down at her with unreadable blue eyes as he spoke.

She shook her head, the only part of her that could be consciously moved at the moment. "No. I found Zoe by accident at some bar where people dance and through following her, Antonello. It was coincidence."

The turtle blinked, clearly surprised. "So who were you here for then?"

"They sent me after April O'Neil. I usually handle the Kraang Legacy cases." Arcos tensed and she cringed. "I didn't tell them about Phoebe Hamato, but with your family under scrutiny, it's probably a matter if time. I'm sorry."

Leonardo sighed, rubbing the bridge of his beak. "One disaster at a time. I expect you found April hard to get to?"

"At first, yes. She's very well guarded by your brother. But she goes to visit her father alone sometimes. Predictably enough to be ambushed. It's a security flaw."

"Which will be corrected." Leonardo replied through ground teeth.

"You didn't attack her?" Arcos asked and she was grateful for the lack of accusation in his voice.

"No. Things had changed by then. I had changed."

Arcos regarded her thoughtfully, but it was Leonardo who spoke next.

"Who are your accomplices?"

Her mouth scrunched in distaste. "K2 and K76. K76 is new, but K2 is the leader of our team, specializing in hunting mutants."

Leonardo cocked his head to one side. "Hunting mutants?"

She nodded. "Back, before the war, there were many dangerous mutations, not like all the normal, people-version of mutants now. The reason the dangerous ones vanished over time us because the EDF collects them to weaponize."

The looks on their faces implied neither had given the missing mutants much thought before. Maybe no one had noted their disappearance, beyond some relief, as there did seem to be an inverse relationship between destructive power and retained sentience when it came to mutations.

"And what are you, then?" Leonardo asked, quickly recovering himself.

"K8. We're reversed engineered Kraangtech."

Arcos frowned. "But you're part human?"

She nodded again. "For security. In case the Kraang return, they shouldn't be able to take us over with human minds." She could see his eyes roam down to her torso in puzzlement. "The Kraang might have had self sufficient brains, but ours are living organs. It's simpler to use the regular organs to keep our brains alive than devise an entirely new technology for it. They had no Kraang models to go off of for that."

"So wait, does the existence of K76 mean there are seventy six of you?" Leonardo appeared mildly alarmed.

She shook her head. "No. There's a very high rejection rate for attempting to integrate human organs with the technology. When that happens

it's...unpleasant." To put it mildly.

"Why would anyone choose that? Why would you choose it?"

Arcos's question caught her off guard. Was that what he thought? "Choose? None of us chose this, except maybe K2."

Arcos's brow furrowed. "But how...?"

"The bodies of the recently deceased. They have arrangements with a lot of different mortuary services when a body with the required pieces intact becomes available. People no one will miss, those scheduled for cremation, closed casket funerals..."

She trailed off at the sad look on his face.

"K8..."

She hated the sound of that coming from him. "Sappho. My name is Sappho." It sounded strange to finally say it out loud, her secret for so long.

"Was that who you used to be?"

She shook her head. "I don't know the girl who died in the fire. The name was a gift to me from one of the few employees that treated us like people, probably why he wasn't working there long. It's mine. The only thing that ever was."

"If we can get back on track" Leonardo broke into their conversation "but we need to..."

His phone rang. Huffing out a breath at the interruption he answered. "Yes." Whatever was said on the other end caused him to tense.

He hung up. "We need to go now."

She couldn't move, so she wasn't going anywhere.

Arcos hesitated.

Leo had already started for the door and wasn't stopping. "Stay, leave or carry her along, I don't care. I'm going."

TSOTCTSOTC

Biting back a curse as the woman darted for the bathroom, he pushed up onto his good leg and hobbled after the little girl following her, dragging his other, now completely useless leg behind him. What was she up to now?

He arrived in time to see her finish emptying her stomach into the toilet and flop down against the dingy tile floor. As the child fell to her knees beside the woman, calling out to her, he could hear the woman muttering. "His daughter. His."

What was she talking about?

Looking at the mess in the toilet, he sighed. That was going to be a problem if she was to survive.

 _Woman may be too far gone. Focus on the child._

A message from his handler scrolled over the top edge of his vision and his jaw clenched shut. For reasons that were unclear to him, the thought of leaving this woman to expire bothered him. A lot. Frustrated with himself, he limped back out into the bedroom and prepared more peanut butter crackers, rationalizing the act as preserving a potentially useful resource. Cradling the small feast with his good arm, he hobbled back into the bathroom, using his damaged arm to slam the toilet lid shut and flush it.

"If you care so much about surviving, eat." He demanded as he set the crackers on the top of the toilet. Then he backed up to watch her eat. He couldn't get back work while she was in here. It would be dangerous to leave her unobserved. Wouldn't it?

He hated this confusion.

 _Incoming audio transmission from K2._

Another message in his vision. With a thought he opened the communication link. _"Yes."_

K2's voice filled his head. _"I received confirmation that the repair kit was delivered and was on my way to collect the extra skin when an opportunity presented itself. I'm going to need the girl. Be ready to hand her off when I arrive."_

He frowned, but answered as he was expected. _"Understood."_

The communication ended and he looked back at the woman with a mild sense of disquiet where he shouldn't feel a thing. She would be greatly distressed by the loss of her offspring. And that bothered him. It shouldn't but it did. Damn. Why couldn't his organic brain just do its job?

But he would give the child over to K2 when he arrived. Wouldn't he?

TSOTCTSOTC

Arcos felt a slight tug to follow his brother, but it was only slight, and he dismissed it. Leo would be angry when he returned and he could be. Arcos was not under his 'command' as his turtle brothers were. He worked in a group with them because he chose to, like Aries and Medusa. There was no real obligation for him to do anything that Leonardo said to do. It was not the first time that he'd disregarded the eldest of Splinter's sons. It would not be last.

Looking down at the cyborg, he sighed. "You said something in you changed. What?"

"I don't know," she answered. It was disconcerting, hearing the tinny voice come out of her mouth without her lips moving. It made her seem less real. However, she smelled real, like a full human being with no metal parts. If he had not clawed her when they first tangled, he would never have known that she was not human.

"You said they kept you part human in case the Kraang came back," he said. Memories flashed before him of the days of the Invasion, stuck in the Burrow in such close quarters it almost gave him a claustrophobic panic even now when he was enclosed. It was then that they had discovered that his mother was part of the Kraang Legacy, a mutant herself, only a human body.

"There's always the possibility," Sappho replied.

He regarded her again, his brows drawing together. He noticed her eyes move, as if she were examining his face. "Are you cold?"

"I can't feel anything," she said. "Donatello disconnected by pain receptors."

He cringed. "You can't stay here like this," he mumbled, looking around. He slipped his paws underneath her, holding her shoulders and cradling her head against his arm, the other arm sliding under her knees. "I can at least get you somewhere more comfortable until Donnie gets back." He walked to his old room, all cleaned and now his once more, and laid her gently on his bed. The fluid that she might leak out didn't really matter, they were old sheets and covers, after all, pieced together to fit on the two king sized mattresses that made up his bed. He, or Aries, or Medusa, or his mother could make some more.

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix rejoined Raph and Splinter outside of the entrance of the school, her heart filled with panic so that she could barely think. _I can't find him, I can't find him, I can't find him. I can't lose him._ She ran up to her husband, her green eyes wide. "I didn't find any trace of them!"

Splinter shook his head, and Raph looked as if his green eyes, so much like his mother's that when the two of them were together, no one ever, ironically, doubted he was her son, were going to bulge out of his head. "Can you feel him?" Splinter asked.

Phoenix took a deep breath, having something tangible to work with helped to keep her from floating into a sea of terror. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate, her inner eyes turning toward her solar plexus, to see all the threads that bound her to the world around her. Only, she couldn't see anything. Just the blackness of her closed eyelids. _Come on,_ she urged, trying to keep her tears at bay. But nothing came into view and her inner voice was silent.

She opened them, "I can't see anything."

Splinter's eyebrows drew into a 'v', his lip coming up slightly. "You hardly tried," he said tightly.

"I felt him!" Zoe came running out of the building. Raph ran up to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I felt Anton, but it was only for a moment. They're that way," she pointed due east.

Without another word, the four of them were to the rooftops again.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim rested against the cold floor, her body heavy from its efforts. She wasn't ready to move, not while she tried to wrap her mind around what was a growing likelihood. A nightmare. He put a plate of peanut butter crackers on the lid of the toilet seat, demanding that she eat. She lay there a while longer, trying to regulate her breathing while one thing flashed in her mind like a billboard in Times Square.

Had the EDF stolen Kyle's body and used it to create the cyborg looming over her?

She had to focus on every breath, as her heart threatened an erratic rhythm. If that, robot, has parts of Kyle, is he still in there? What had he been through? What had they done to him? Did he suffer? Did he suffer beyond a death that seemed so certain, so instant and over. Her breath hitched, she gasped and the knot in the back of her throat lunged forward erupting in a sob. Is some part of Kyle still alive? More than parts of his body? Oh, gods they cut up his body! The fingers on her good hand clawed at the floor as she pushed herself upright.

Her eyes ached from crying, her head pounding as hard as the pulse sending jolts through her broken arm. Slowly, she lifted her head fixing the scar in her sights. "My late husband had that exact same scar. His name was Kyle. Do you know anything about the man they made you out of?"

He gripped the side of his head as she said that name again, drilling it like a spike into his brain. He needed it to stop.

"Where my organic components came from is not pertinent information. Whoever you think I am, you are wrong."

She looked...distraught. Yes that was the emotion. A difficult one to identify visually, hard to distinguish from the variety of distress human beings could express. It bothered him, but he quashed the sentiment as effectively as he could. He was a weapon and she a temporary tool.

"But..."

"No! Whoever these organs once belonged to is gone. They are mine now. I advise you not to confuse the two."

Now if only his brain would agree.

He could hear the door opening to the main room. Pulling out the gun from the back of his pants he presses himself against the door frame and tilted his head to look out into the room.

K2 stood waiting, looking through the parts and tools spread out on the desk. In all the bandages, he looked like he'd attempted to make his own mummy costume.

K76 relaxed and stepped out of the bathroom. "Going to repair your skin?"

K2 shook his head. "No time. The primary target is within reach along with another interesting specimen we've been instructed to retrieve. Hand over the girl."

Despite his earlier conviction, he hesitated, though he couldn't say why. Once they had the primary target, he could the mission would lose some urgency and he could return to headquarters and be rid of these thoughts and feelings plaguing him. K76 could handle the hunt for the hybrid and K8 on his own. And yet...

K2 frowned. "Well?"

He shook his head. "Sorry sir, my organic CPU is...malfunctioning."

K2 sighed in irritation. "That happens. While essential to security they are faulty. You can have it dealt with later. Now, I need the girl."

Swallowing back the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he reentered the bathroom, looking down at the child this time. She met his gaze with disturbingly familiar, tear-filled eyes. Familiar? Impossible. He would not let this emotion defeat him.

Setting his jaw, he reached put and grabbed her by the wrist. "Come on. It's time to put you to use."

Denim's entire body jolted with adrenaline as the cyborg snatched Alli up. The mummified stranger behind him, was reaching out to take her.

"Mommy! Mommy, help! Don't let them take me away! _Mommy_!" Alli's cries ignited a maternal inferno in Denim's body. _They can't take her._

"What?! What are you doing? No! Alli! No! No, no, no- Anything but her!" Her voice rose to sheer panic as Denim scrambled to her feet. Her balance was off and she stumbled forward, jarring her broken arm so badly she felt the fracture shift. Her screams of pain blended with a roar of pure fury as one instinct overtook the other, and she lunged for the cyborg. "Get your hands off her!"

K76 watched the woman, incapacitated only a second before, launch at him like a rabid animal. The human aspect of his brain responded sluggishly, leaving his reaction to the electronic portion. In accordance with protocol, he activated her collar.

Her scream abruptly silenced and body jerked like a broken marionette as the electricity seized her muscles and rendered her nervous system temporarily useless. Momentum carried her into him but without the savagery that she'd possessed at the start of her charge.

He staggered back into the door jam as she plowed into him, catching her limp body on reflex.

His organic brain caught up with the flow of events and an unfamiliar sense of revulsion began creeping up through his guts as he looked upon what he'd done. Although she could have destroyed him, he still wanted to take it back.

"Mommy!"

At the child's scream, awareness of the rest of his surroundings came back into focus. The girl was squirming and thrashing, trying futilely to free her wrist from his grip.

Just outside the bathroom, K2 waited impatiently for him to hand her over. He could have taken her, but chose to wait as though making sure his subordinate was still loyal, which shouldn't be surprising after K8.

"The trap is set. Give me the bait."

He looked down at the trembling little girl, tears streaking down her blotchy cheeks. The woman had believed his organic body had been her husband. If that were true, it would make this child that body's offspring.

"K76, give her to me." K2 held out his hand.

 _No! Don't!_

 _Weapons...machines...don't have children._

"K76."

K2's voice held the edge of a threat to it and he began dragging the little girl out of the room.

 _Stop!_

 _Obey._

K2 clamped a hand on the child's other wrist as he thrust her towards his commander.

K2 waited for him to let go and he hesitated.

 _Keep her. She's yours. Protect her._

 _Follow the command. Complete the mission._

He pried his reluctant fingers open and K2 started dragging the girl away. Dragging Alli away.

He felt numb and nauseous. It made no sense. He shouldn't feel a thing.

Slowly, as though moving underwater, he limped out if the bathroom and gently deposited the twitching woman on the bed, easing himself down next to her. No longer motivated to do much if anything he stared about the room, much emptier now, without really seeing anything.

What had he done?


	54. Chapter 53

Anton knew Yuuta was great at finding stuff. He'd helped him find all the different places his dad hid his sai. They'd sneak and get them out on the nights Yuuta stayed over and his dad was on patrol. They'd put them back, stealthy as the ninja they were, without him suspecting a thing... though his dad did move his hiding places a lot, which was kind of weird.

Yuuta also helped him find where his mom hid all the chocolate, where Grandme're hid that super expensive cheese she didn't want to share, and where Sofu hid the matches to light the incense and candles, both at the dojo _and_ at home. And he found Uncle Leo's mask when they thought the dryer ate it with all the missing socks, which both the mask and the socks turned out to be rolled up in the bedsheets that had the scrunchy bits at the corners.

Yuuta found lots of stuff. Stuff Anton was pretty sure the pup didn't share with him, stuff he probably wasn't allowed to have, and he had at least one item from every family member hidden away in a little collection. Not stuff he'd necessarily taken, but found and for some reason never returned.

But as the duo approached the hotel parking lot, hiding in the shrubbery, and the pup shrugged telling him the trail ended there, Anton couldn't believe it. And yet he was almost certain he could sense Alli. He knew without a doubt they were in the right place.

His insides still stung from pushing his mom's energy away. She was probly worried. But when he and Yuuta came home with Alli and Denim they'd be heroes. Then his dad would stop telling him he was too little for everything. He wasn't. He could handle bullies at school, and with Yuuta on his team he knew they could get Alli and her mom back.

The two boys looked at each other, then to the pothole-filled parking lot, with the single blinking yellow floodlight waiting to go out at any second. The corners of the rat pups mouth tipped up and Anton smirked. One lousy light? No problem.

She'd probly have his shell for it, but... Anton reached into his back pocket pulling out his Grand'mere's slingshot. Yuuta scanned the ground around them, grabbed a small pebble and handed it to him. Like so many things he wasn't supposed to either know how to do, or wasn't allowed to, he loved firing his Grand'mere's weapon.

He loaded the pebble.

Ready.

A dark figure approached a door on the second floor.

Aim.

It opened letting out a sliver of bright yellow light then closed.

Fire.

Right as the parking lot fell into darkness a woman's screams pierced walls, windows, and doors.

Aunt Denim?

The door opened and the figure reappeared with a shrieking child in tow.

Alli?

Great! They found them! But now what?

Alli's screams became muffled as the stranger dragged her toward the long side of the hotel. Her cries literally brought pain to the center of Anton's plastron. Every time she shed a tear about anything, he was beside himself to make her happy again. But this... this sound was worse than the ones she made with the bully on the playground. This terrifying noise set his blood on fire. His hands clenched into fists as he took his first step toward danger. But Yuuta's paw came down on his shoulder pulling him back.

He wheeled on his uncle. "What? He's gettin' away with her! We gotta stop him!"

The longer patches of fur above Yuuta's brow drew together and he pointed sternly toward the hotel door.

Aunt Denim's screams had stopped.

Anton's eyes grew wide and he swallowed hard. "Yuuta we gotta call home. Tell them where to find Aunt Denim, but we gotta save Alli first."

Anton felt the lightest brush as Yuuta pick-pocketed his dad's cell phone, which Anton had lifted while his dad was talkin' to his mom, but he ignored it, knowing this was his chance to save Alli or they might not find her again.

TSOTCTSOTC

K2 dragged his bait out of the seedy hotel, smothering her cries just enough that his prey could detect them without drawing too much unwanted attention.

The situation couldn't be more perfect if he'd planned it intentionally. Aside from K76's behavioral quirks. That would need to be addressed when they got back to base.

Pretending not to see his quarry through the night vision filter in his visual implants, he tugged the struggling child towards the corner. He could hear their one sided argument with the volume on his audio receiver cranked up and smiled. Without using an EDF frequency, that call would never make it through the local jammer K76 had set up. No interruptions.

The rat squeaked and the turtle responded in a hushed tone. "What do you mean there's no signal? We're topside in New York City."

Giving the girl a particularly hard yank to elicit a small yelp of pain, he dragged her around the corner into an alley where his transport truck awaited him, cargo doors open.

"He's getting away. We gotta go now."

Excellent. He waited for them to follow by the back of the truck, activating his infrared.

Predictably, they rounded the corner, completely silent and invisible to a human eye, though they glowed bright red in his vision.

He watched them halt in uncertainty as they spied him waiting and looked right at him. "I take it you've come for her?" He lifted the child and she whimpered, wriggling in his grasp like a fish on a hook.

They both tensed as though to spring for him.

"Can you get to her before I snap her neck?"

The boys froze as he laid a hand threateningly on the nape of her neck. Good.

"The thing about having multiple hostages is that means some are expendable. Is she expendable to you?"

He gave her wrist a squeeze and she cried out causing the rat and turtle to flinch. "Didn't think so. And if I got away with her...can you imagine how your family will react when I start returning her to you in pieces."

They were shaking now, though he suspected more from rage than fear. Just where he wanted them.

Now to break the impasse. "There is a way to guarantee her safety. She is not the prize I'm really after."

The turtle hunched his posture aggressively. "You want me and my mom."

He could feel a grin spreading across his face. "Your mother is incidental. I'll settle for the two of you. A trade. If both of you get in these cages," he gestured to the air hole-filled metal boxes in the truck behind him, "I swear I will release the girl. She won't be of any use to me anymore anyway. And if you're as skilled as your behavior indicates, then maybe you'll escape. Or you can just attack and hope she survives. Which risk are you willing to take?"

They hesitated and he frowned. "This is a limited time offer. Decide now or I leave with her and use her to send messages."

The rat started making shrill tipping noises as the turtle's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I know, but what else can we do."

Then the turtle narrowed its green eyes at him. "Agreed. But you let her go first. I trust our honor more than yours."

Interesting. A gamble for him now. Very well, he could work with that.

*Message to K76*

 _Go to the window overlooking the alley. If you don't see the targets entering the truck after the girl is released, shoot a nonlethal target on her to encourage their compliance._

It took longer than he would have liked for K76 to respond.

 _Understood._

"I accept." He released the girl's wrist, letting her fall to the ground.

She scrambled towards the boys, crying hysterically between hiccups.

He allowed the children to embrace for a second or so in the hopes of maximizing their cooperation.

"And now it is your turn to honor your part of the bargain."

The rat and turtle looked at each other for a moment before bidding farewell and prying themselves free of the girl.

"Yuuta! Anton! No! He's bad."

The turtle looked back at her. "We have to keep our word. Go home and tell everyone where Aunt Denim is."

The rat squeaked in seeming affirmation.

"But… but..." The girl blundered as the boys stoically marched up to the truck and climbed inside. As soon as they crawled into the boxes, K2 sent a wireless command for the gates to slide shut, activating the electronic locks, protected from potential damage in their sealed, steel casings.

Slamming the back gate of the truck closed, he left the little girl sobbing in the alley as he made his way to the passenger side of the truck. The moment he was inside, the EDF agent ordered them to deliver him the vehicle, took off back to base to deposit their payload, flinching fearfully every time K2 made a move. As it should be. He would tolerate no disrespect from an underling.

A line of text scrolled across the top of his vision. _Capture confirmed. Labs are being prepped for delivery. K76 instructed to eliminate the primary witness. Agent deployed to eliminate the secondary witness._

Excellent. Everything was proceeding more smoothly than he could have hoped. K76 would need some adjustments, but with the right equipment, he should be able to handle the capture or eradication of the rogue assets unassisted if there were no other models of the cyborg line returned from mission to back him up.

He'd have this tied up in no time with his perfect track record intact.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim was lost in one layer of hell after another. She'd been mid-lunge when crippling, searing jolts seized every muscle in her. She was suffocating as pain racked her body, her jaw clenching as foam gathered in the corners of her mouth, then she finally blacked out. How long ago had that been?

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, as if her body was in a state of shock. Her pinky on her good hand was twitching, her nerves firing at random. What happened? Her mind searched, struggling to pull the images together.

They had the meeting at school.

No.

She had to make dinner.

No.

Alli was going to put jellybeans on it.

Her heart ground to a halt.

Alli!

Her eyes opened to darkness then thankfully blurred into focus on the dimly lit hotel room. Her captor was sitting right beside her with his back turned. Her gaze darted around him, recalling her daughter's cries, her tear-stricken cheeks, the fear-

Denim's chest pumped hard as she struggled to get upright. "Where-" her voice cracked and yet she did nothing to clear it. "Wh-where is my daughter?"

He didn't respond and her voice rose octaves, as her mind fell black, unwilling to consider the million tragedies possible. "WHERE IS SHE?" Her eyes rushed hot, filled and spilled over. "Where is my baby?!"

The fingers of her good hand curled into her palm. "Answer me!" She moved to get off the bed, going for the door.

"If you attempt to escape, I will be forced to-"

Denim wheeled around to face him, glaring in the eyes of a stranger bearing pieces of her dead husband. Teeth bared she thrust her face in his. "If any part of my husband is in there you just turned our daughter over to-"

Over to what? To who? It was like hitting a brick wall. Her mind couldn't-

Pressure was building in her chest, her heart gripped tight with fury and fear, torn with the impossibility of her situation, one that gave her nothing to work with. Her fist was clenched, her face hot with tears. "How long was I out? Where did he take her?" A helpless snarl breeched her lips sending spittle across his face, but when she opened her mouth to lash out again, a panicked animalistic sound escaped her.

He stared at her as she crumbled to the floor by his feet. "Please, _please_ , Kyle if you're in there, any part of you." She blinked as fresh tears gathered on her lashes. "Take me. Please, whatever it is, do it to me not her." Some part of her mind wanted to consider her unborn baby, but after she'd been electrocuted again- Her chest shuddered. "Kyle, _please_. _Please_."

"Silence," the cyborg commanded.

What could she do? If she tried to leave he'd knock her out again. If she went for a weapon, he'd do it again. She didn't know how long she was out. Who took Alli. Where. Why. She. Knew. Nothing.

But that her daughter was gone.

And some part of Kyle had sent her away.

She wanted to rip her husband's limbs free from his computer body. But at the same time some part of him was _alive_. Could she save him too?

 _The smile on his sun-kissed face summoned a mirror image from her. His laugh had her heart skipping beats. He reached out, yanking her into a bear hug, then his breath ghosted her ear, sending little shivers through her. "We did it, Denni. We won! Regional Champs!"_

 _Her joy was his, not the win. She'd only ever picked up a gun to get his attention in the first place. He squeezed her to him again. When he pressed his lips to her cheek she turned her head at the last second, catching his mouth with hers. He went all rigid and pulled back, but didn't let her go._

 _His eyes darted between hers. "I love her, Denni. Don't think I don't love you too, but it's-" He released her, ran a hand through his blonde locks and glanced toward his parents, who were speaking to an official. Kyle pulled her close, and kissed the top of her head. "I do love you, Denim. I'm just-"_

 _He just wasn't in love with her._

 _He never was._

 _But when he'd finally reached for her, she'd held onto him. And when they were intimate he seemed farther away than ever. There in his arms, where she'd longed to be for so long... Yet where she'd been certain their coupling would complete her, instead she discovered a canyon between their souls. He was in a place she couldn't reach, because he wasn't meant for her._

 _She couldn't understand then._

 _But she held onto his memory, was raising his daughter, knew his journey, and saw him to the end of it. But she stepped off his path, and where his ended, hers was just beginning._

Everything in her screamed to fight, someway, somehow. Yet her intuition lowered a hand to her abdomen, stirring with a very determined little life. Her lip trembled, her throat was raw, and her heart splintering in places she didn't know where broken.

Kyle had to be in there.

She just had to reach him.

She took a shaky breath, her head hanging. He was her friend first, her friend always. In his body, or this one. She could do this.

Her voice came out a soft, sympathetic sound. "I'm talking to you, Kyle. Whatever part of you is in there." Her heart clenched, her eyes burning with fresh tears. "I uh-" she gasped for breath, "I get it now. The way you felt about her, and the way you felt about me." She sniffed and lifted her head to look in the stranger's eyes. "How many times you tried to explain it." Her eyebrows lifted. "But I couldn't understand." She wiped at her eyes with her good hand, but they were already brimming.

"See, I hadn't met him yet. And the thing is, if I hadn't followed you down your path, if I'd never met you and learned to shoot, if I hadn't listened to you, and known your beautiful open heart, and mind, and soul, if you hadn't shared with me how you felt for her- your love for someone so different-" She choked back a sob. "Kyle, what you felt for her, I feel for him, and had I not walked part of your journey I might never have met him. So, I want you to know I get it. I love you, and thank you, for giving me Allison, and in a way, for Michelangelo."

She hoped she'd reached him. If anything she felt an odd sense of closure. Though it seemed he was right there, but maybe not. She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "You know, you never told me her name."

"Sarah."

As the name fell unbidden from his lips, the dam burst.

 _He was warm and safe, curled up under a heap fraying quilts and holey blankets, able to feel every spring beneath him in the old mattress, a mix of old, discarded pillows under his head. There was nowhere else he'd rather be._

 _Soft fur caressed his skin, vibrating as she hummed out a sound of contentment and he reached out to pull her against him. His future. Together they were whole, complete and tonight had only made him more certain of that. It was a memory he would always treasure, being here with her in her makeshift hideout. Wherever she was felt like home and if the world wouldn't let her come with him, he'd gladly follow her anywhere._

 _With a smile, he ran his fingers through her short fur, admiring the pattern. He loved the way her predominantly red coloring was accented with patches of white on her hands, feet and down her chest and stomach. Splotches of white fur ran along the sides her nose and along her cheeks flowing down her graceful throat. She was self conscious about it, but it was one of a thousand beautiful things about her._

 _She blinked her luminous, golden eyes at him. "How are you not tired?"_

 _He loved the rich timbre of her voice. "Too happy to sleep."_

 _She grinned. "Yeah, me too." The grin slipped a little. "So when do I get to meet your sister?"_

 _He leaned back into the pillows with a sigh, holding her to his chest. Part of it was that Sarah was his and he wasn't quite ready to share her. The other part was that he knew how Denni felt, how could he not, and worried about hurting her. Denni was family and he knew that he was all she had, even if he couldn't give her what she really wanted. He'd always love her, but that wasn't the same as being in love with her._

 _Before Sarah, he'd tried to make his feelings work that way, because he hated seeing her heartbreak, but this was something that couldn't be forced. Having found Sarah, he understood that better than ever._

 _Sarah watched him, waiting for an answer. She was alone, except for him. Just like Denni. They both deserved more and he just knew Denni would love Sarah once she got to know her. They could be family too. And maybe, just maybe, Denni would finally be able to move on and find her soul mate, because he truly believed there was someone out there, just for her. He didn't know how he knew, but he was sure of it._

 _He smiled and stroked her cheek. "Yeah. She's gonna love you."_

 _Sarah's eyes seemed to sparkle as her face lit up with joy._

 _He wanted to lose himself in this moment, but some niggling worry squirmed in the back of his mind, warning him not to let go, that he wouldn't ever see her again. But that couldn't be right. He was going to spend the rest of his life with her._

 _The room around him started melting away and he clutched her tightly._

 _No. He couldn't lose this. He wouldn't. Not again. Again?_

 _But no matter how tightly he held, the world continued to fall away around him._

 _"Sarah!"_

He was in the hotel room, screaming that name like a wounded animal as reality came crashing back in. He grasped desperately for the fading memory, but it was like grabbing fistfuls of fog. Her scent, her feel, the emotions that tethered him to her were already dissipating from his memory. He couldn't hold it.

Letting out a cry of frustration, he again took notice of the collared woman in the room with him, staring at him with wide, startled eyes. She'd brought the memory out once. She could do it again. And he needed it. He couldn't recall ever wanting anything, but he wanted thus so badly it was almost a physical pain.

Text scrolled across the top of his vision.

 _Agent down. Terminate the witness and move out to get image the secondary witness. Warning: the secondary witness is currently in enemy custody. Proceed with caution._

Terminate the witness. The woman in front of him.

His hand reached for the gun tucked into the back of his pants.

Secondary witness is alive in enemy custody. Alli. The offspring of this body. Her family had her.

He brought the gun up.

Terminate the secondary witness.

 _No!_ Searing pain appeared through the left side of his head.

His gun leveled at her forehead.

She stiffened, hands flying protectively over her abdomen.

Terminate the witness.

The only one who could bring back the memory.

His finger froze, immobile against the trigger. If he pulled it, he would lose everything.

He couldn't. He wouldn't.

The moment stretched out between them, locked in tableau. Too long.

He could sense her collar building a charge. His handler! His handler must have noticed the hesitation and issued an override.

The building charge was rapidly approaching the lethal threshold. The memory. It would be lost. Permanently. No!

She gasped as she realized the collar was activating and screamed as the electricity started pouring into her body. She would die and take the keys to his memory with her.

The room filled with a deafening bang as his firearm discharged, the bullet buried deep in the control panel, rendering the device dead. The electricity dispersed, leaving the woman unconscious, but breathing. He'd have a hell of a time getting if off later, but at least she was alive.

But what now? Her family was looking for her. And nearby if they had Alli. And the EDF would already be reacting to this. K2 could be on his way back right now. K2. He was in no condition to fight K2. K2 would kill her and take him back to the EDF where they'd destroy the memory. He couldn't allow that.

The EDF would track him, but as long as he kept moving and they couldn't predict where he was going, he could keep ahead of them. Just long enough to get that memory. It was his and he had to have it back. He could still feel the hollow space within him, left by its loss. They just needed to keep moving.

Decision made, he tucked his gun away, scooped the duffle bag off the floor, hooking it around his good shoulder. Then he lifted the woman's limp body from the floor, supporting her head and torso with his fully functional arm and hooking his damaged one below her legs.

Stairs would take too long. He needed to be gone now. After rapidly processing his options, he barreled through the window overlooking the alley, still open from when K2 had commanded him to cover the exchange. Somersaulting in the air, he righted himself, absorbing the entire two-story drop effortlessly with his good leg.

His audio receivers detected the engine hum of a motorcycle, one of the small, barely legal, cheap ones that resembled dirt bikes without being nearly so mechanically robust. It would serve.

Limping his way to the road with unnatural speed, he flung out his bad leg to clothesline the rider off the vehicle. As the rider flew backwards and the bike began to spiral out of control, he swung his damaged limb back to catch it before it could get too far from him. The result was the loss of a lot of paint and several fresh dings, but it was still fully functional.

He wasted no time straddling the bike, holding the woman in a similar position tightly against him with his damaged arm. It might not be capable of much in the way of refined motion, but he could still lock it in place. Difficult as it was with his bad leg, he managed to get the bike in motion, quickly leaving the hotel behind.

But the EDF would see where he was going through his eyes. They could get ahead of him. Time to make a gamble. He'd memorized maps of the area earlier in preparation for the mission and there wasn't a lot of traffic this time of night in this part of the city. It was doable.

Closing his eyes, he began to randomize his route.

TSOTCTSOTC

"We're catching up to him," Karai said, just to the left flank of Medusa. 

The larger snake nodded, she'd noticed that for a while. Mikey was going fast, much faster than normal. But not so fast that being upwind, once Medusa had recognized the scent of his rage, that she couldn't track him. Her tongue was at almost constant flick, taking in the scents of the air to process them once they were locked in the treasure chest of her mouth. Karai, she had noticed long ago, didn't seem to process smell in the same way, or use that sense as much Medusa did. She was sure if it was because she didn't want to or she didn't know how, and Medusa had never asked. While the purple and white opalescent snake was not as strong or fast as Medusa, she made up for it venom. Three mouths, each filled with poison, was a great equalizer. 

Medusa stopped, her body whipping to slow her forward momentum. Her tongue flicked out again, as Karai made a similar maneuver at her side. 

"What?" Karai asked, annoyance in her sibilatic voice. 

"I smell Yuuta," Medusa said quietly. 

Karai's tongue tasted the air. "It could be any rat," she replied. 

Medusa shook her head, "No, that's him." She began to descend to the street level. "It's mixed with baby shampoo." 

"There's no way he could be tracking Mikey's scent too," Karai argued. "He's just a kid." 

Leaves crunched beneath them as they passed through a copse of trees, so that Karai changed back to her human form. Making noise didn't bother Medusa. She could crush a small car in her coils, she could handle whatever came at her out here. In the distance was a series of lights, indicative of a strip motel. The roar of cars sped past, the acrid smell of exhaust fumes blocking out any other smells for the moment.

"Anton!" Zoe's voice pierced the darkness. "Raph, he was here, I know it!" 

Both women bolted out of the trees.

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey had no intention of standing around wasting time getting the run around from that Terminator-chick. It was pretty clear she was just a useless distraction.

Why was everyone being so calm? Was this how Leo felt when Karai had been held prisoner by Shredder? Was this how he felt when Donnie and Raph wanted to give up on her? Was this awful black fog of panic and rage what Raph suffered with whenever Zoe missed a check-in? It was worse than the sick way his gut churned, and his heart clenched every time he'd found Denim unconscious. Because at least he had her in his arms. He could comfort her, be there to get her whatever she needed. Together they were whole.

But this. This was a deal breaker. He might be a lot of things, playful, goofy, a prankster, but he was undeniably something else too. He was a damn fine ninja. Everyone always doubted him. But no one would after this. While they stood around playing that robot's game, he was going to find his family and bring them home.

He'd gone back to the school first, feeling a twinge of hope when he'd found the red hairs stuck in the window. But after walking around outside he couldn't find anything else. So from there he had to do something really hard for him on a regular day, let alone being raging mad and terrified beyond belief. Not to mention that with his sister's tailing him, he didn't have a lot of time to do it.

Michelangelo dropped to his knees, closed his eyes and inhaled deep through his nose. His conscious mind struggled with him for a fraction of a second, wanting to wander, to imagine terrible things that- He shut it out, pushed it all away. There could be nothing in this space if he wanted the universe to show him anything. His heart jerked with fear of what he might see. No. They needed him. He not only could, but he would do this.

As he focused on his breathing, releasing his rage into the ether, he also let his fear float along with it. Freed from his emotional bindings, his spirit lifted, his energy reaching forward, stretching ahead in time, only fractions of a second, but enough to give him a glimpse...

A blinking 'vacancy' light blurred into focus, then a run-down hotel was revealed. Alli stood in a side lot, stammering, "But… but..." She watched Anton and Yuuta approach a truck wielding cages. They climbed in and the doors locked in place.

Michelangelo's eyes shot open, but he ignored the lightheaded feeling that lingered as he leapt to his feet, setting off in a full out run. "No, no, no, no. Anton, Yuuta, what are you doing?"

Bad, just got a whole lot worse.

TSOTCTSOTC

Alli's entire body was shaking, as the bad man drove away with Anton and Yuuta, leaving her alone in the dark parking lot. Her chest shuddered as she gasped for breath. She hadn't stopped crying in a long time. Maybe since the whole thing started.

She looked around, not knowing where she was or what to do. She couldn't call for mommy. The other bad man had her. She inhaled and her heart skipped beats in her chest as a fresh sob broke free.

 _What do I do?_ She began to walk, limping with her one shoe long lost and only one remaining. She went in the opposite direction of the truck, her legs wobbly and her pants wet from peeing herself when the bad man took her from her mom.

Mommy was making that roaring noise then it just stopped. Her whole body went all crazy and it was like she was gone. New tears got in her eyes and she wiped them away.

She wanted to go home, to snuggle on the couch while her daddy threw popcorn at her mom. And she wanted to watch him catch it in his mouth and wink at her when she threw it back. Then her mom would make a mad face, that turned into a smile. She acted mad, but it didn't seem real. Like pretend or a game. Mommy's eyes always looked different when she looked at him. Kinda the way she did when she looked at her.

 _I want my mommy and daddy. I want to go home._

If she found someone maybe they'd know how to get there. She looked around as she wandered aimlessly toward an open gate. But she wasn't supposed to talk to strangers. What had Mommy and Daddy said to do if she got lost? She couldn't remember. Find another mommy? But there weren't any. There wasn't anyone.

Her mind was full of scary pictures, the bad men hurting her mom, then the mummy-face one took Anton and Yuuta away. And they all left her. Alone.

She stopped, turning in a slow circle looking for anything familiar. In the not too far distance she could see the motel's blinking light. But she didn't know how to read, to know what it said. That's where her mommy was. But the best thing to do would be to find help and take them to her. Her gaze shifted to her immediate surroundings, a tall metal fence went really far in both directions, and there were big buildings with dark broken windows everywhere.

Everything was so big. Bigger than usual. She looked into the darkness stretching before her, uncertain what to do because the buildings blocked out the city lights that she could just barely make out as dots in the sky.

So big. And dark. Monsters live in the dark. A chill gripped her body and her knees bent as she crept closer to the ground with every step. Maybe she'd just hide and try to find help in the morning when she could see better. Her heart clenched. That would mean staying out there all night.

The ground began to shake and rumble. Alli looked right and left, took a step forward and tripped. "I want my mommy!" She cried, putting her hands out to stop her fall. The cry bled into a shriek as pain shot through the wrist the mummy-face hurt earlier. Something silver beneath her fingers caught her eye. It was long, thin and there were two, one of them was at her feet. It began to vibrate and the shaking grew worse as the world around her filled with sounds of shrieking metal. There was a single bright light rushing toward her.

Oh! A train! She stood up, but when she went to step off the tracks her shoe wouldn't budge from under the metal part. The train was coming faster, and she tugged harder, screaming and crying out to anyone who might hear. "Help!" She sobbed, "Help!" Then she screamed outright.

The light was coming closer, the noise getting louder. Then the train honked it horn and the vibrations rattled her tiny, shuddering chest. "I want my mommy!" She sobbed, yanking her foot free abandoning her only remaining shoe. She darted across the tracks and kept running, her bare feet over dirty concrete, not stopping until-

It was a dead end.

Her eyes darted over the brick wall in front of her.

But.

But.

No.

She turned in a slow circle, three windowless walls, with only a dumpster, a bunch of garbage cans and scattered trash between them. There was a dark figure on the other end, blocking the only way out. She backed up, retreating behind the dumpster. She squat down, wrapping her arms around her legs so she'd be smaller. Her breathing was too loud. Her heart pounding to loud.

 _"You gotta be quiet like a ninja, Alli-bird." Daddy grinned so big his eyes closed as he knelt before her. "Watch this, we'll sneak up on mommy. But you gotta be-"_

Quiet as a ninja.

 _"But how?"_

 _Daddy's eyes sparkled. "You know how we play the quiet game when it's bedtime?"_

 _Alli nodded, excited that he was finally telling her a ninja secret._

 _"You be real still, and you tell all of you to be soft. And when you're hearts beating hard cos you're so excited-" He smiled as he nodded his head. "You say, heart you gotta slow down, you gotta be quiet." He reached out and touched the top of her head. "But you tell it from here," he touched her lip with his finger, "not from here." Then he leaned in and looked her in the eye. "It's real hard, just like the quiet game. But it gets easier with practice, and it's fun for playing pranks on your Uncle Leo."_

 _He pointed to himself, "I'm still the only one that's ever out-stealthed him." He paused, a little wrinkle flickering at the corner of his eye as he looked from her to her mom and whispered, "Quiet as a ninja._ "

 _Mommy was stretched out on the couch, reading a book. Every time she turned the page Daddy took a step toward her. But when he was halfway to her and reached in his pocket, mommy licked her finger, turned the page and without looking up said, "Michelangelo, if you throw that water balloon at me, you'll be sleeping at your parents place tonight."_

 _Then as he whined, 'aw man', she turned her head and looked to Alli, standing right behind him. "Don't shuffle your feet, lift them. You gave him away," she smiled then lifted a red eyebrow as she looked at Daddy, "but I thank you both for trying. You're very entertaining."_

Mommy could be quiet as a ninja too.

Air was rushing and out of Alli's nose, fast and hard, her heart fluttering crazy in her chest. She closed her eyes. _The quiet game. Still body, soft body. Slow breath. Slow heart._

She opened her eyes, afraid to look.

Then she heard trash can lids lifting and dropping. "The target's here somewhere. I'm locating her now, sir. There is no outlet and I saw her enter."

Alli's entire body trembled as he came closer. There was no place else to go. If she moved he'd find her. If she didn't, he'd find her.


	55. Chapter 54

Alli curled herself into a ball, arms wrapped tightly around her legs, trying to make herself as small as possible. Maybe he wouldn't see her and would give up and go away.

The yellow circle of a flashlight flicked around her side of the alley and she buried her face in her knees. _Go away._ _Please go away._

The light pooled all around her.

"Found her."

Trembling, she looked up and saw the stranger in front of her, slowly pulling out a weird-looking gun, kind of like in the video games some of her classmates had that she wasn't supposed to be playing, and pointed it towards her. Swallowing hard, she ducked her head in towards her lap and tried to imagine that she was anywhere but here.

 _Crash!_

She flinched at the loud noise but quickly realized that she was ok. Nothing hurt at all. She thought it would hurt. Cautiously, she started to look up when a deafening bang echoed through the alley little bits of brick began raining down on her.

She immediately clammed up again and started to whimper, sniffling despite her best efforts ninja efforts. She was losing the quiet game and something bad was going to happen.

"Alli? Alli are you ok?"

That voice!

Her head snapped up and there was daddy crouched right in front of her.

"Daddy!" She abandoned the silent game altogether and threw herself into his waiting arms.

As he clutched her tightly to him, she knew it was alright. She was safe now. She and mommy would be ok. Mommy!

She struggled for a moment until he loosened the embrace. Finally able to look up at him again, she tugged frantically on the top of his front shell. "We gotta help Mommy!"

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey raced along the rooftops, following the instinctive thread that he'd managed to latch onto in a rare moment of successful meditation. He should really try to get better at it. Sensei and Leo always said that it was important but he'd never believed them until now. He wished he'd taken the practice more seriously, but it hadn't seemed like a big deal at the time.

A light, flickering in a nearby alley, caught his attention and he skidded to a halt to investigate. Some dude was looking for something, too well dressed and well equipped to belong in this part of town. He leaned further over the edge, just in time to see the light illuminate a terrified little girl next to a dumpster.

Alli! The guy was looking at Alli. And pulling out a gun?

Before his brain had a chance to try tackling such an impossible thought, his kusari-gama was wrapped around the top of the fire escape and he was swinging into action like Tarzan. If it were any other set of circumstances, he would totally be doing the accompanying yell no matter how much a violation of ninja stealth it was.

He slammed full body into the guy, sending him flying into the brick wall at the far end of the alley. As much as he wanted to run to Alli immediately, he couldn't leave gun-dude running around freely.

Somehow, gun-dude managed to not collapse despite how painful the collision had sounded. Not good.

Grabbing the wall for support, the guy lifted his gun, ready to fire straight out in front of him without any regard for aiming. Not normally a problem, except that Mikey had almost completely closed the distance between them and the guy couldn't really miss, even if he was shooting blind.

If gun-dude shot him, who would save Alli and Denim?

He swung out his remaining nunchaku, striking the gun upwards from underneath with maximum force, causing the shot to discharge above his head just before the gun smashed into the guy's face.

Ow. Ow. Ow. His ears were ringing with pain. Lots and lots of pain. Gun-dude had a silencer. Wasn't it supposed to make the gun, ya know, silent? That's how it worked in movies.

He staggered back a bit amidst the shower of shattered brick from wherever the bullet had struck, willing the super loud sound to unhappen. Not working.

Gun-dude slumped back against the wall and slid slowly to the ground. For a brief instant, he felt a wave of regret accompanied by his normally iron stomach trying to empty its contents as he saw that the gun had slammed the guy's nose up into his brain like a spike. Eww.

A memory of gun-dude pointing his weapon at Alli filled his head and the regret vanished, though he was still pretty queasy. Alli!

He started to turn around, just as the ringing let up enough to hear her quiet snuffling.

Rushing back to the dumpster, he found her curled up and shaking. "Alli? Alli are you ok?"

She looked up at him with huge, tear-filled eyes. "Daddy!"

With an overwhelming sense of relief, he caught her as she flung herself into him and clutched her to him like he'd never, ever let her go. Except she was super squirmy. Was he squashing her?

He loosened his hold, unwilling to relinquish her entirely and she clutched at his plastron to pull herself upright, looking at him with a panicked expression. "We gotta help Mommy!"

His heart clenched. Denim was still out there. And he'd lost the feeling he'd been following, not knowing if he could get it back. "Alli, do you know where she is?"

She nodded, her lower lip trembling. "The tall building with the big, blue light." She pointed out towards the opening of the alley.

Still holding onto her, he ran out into the street, looking around wildly until he saw a hotel about two blocks distant with a large, blue neon light. It was old and the 'y' flickered while the 'a' was burnt out completely in the vertically spelled 'vacancy.' Hotels had lots of rooms.

He looked back to Alli. "Did you see the door of the room you were in? Did it have any numbers on it?"

Her face scrunched up in concentration and she slowly nodded. "Two…one…four."

She'd barely finished speaking when a loud gunshot split the air…coming from the hotel. Denim!

He was immediately off running at top speed and Alli squealed, clinging tightly to him, though he would never drop her. Kicking open the doors, he barreled through the lobby, startling a clerk into falling backwards out of the chair he'd been leaning back in. Darting past the 'out of order' elevator, he dashed to the stairs. They would have been faster, even if the elevator had been working.

Taking them four or five steps at a time, he practically flew up the flights to the second floor, pausing only briefly to note the sign indicating that he should turn right to get to the rooms in the teens. 214 was near the end of the hallway.

Skidding to a halt in front of the door, he spun into a kick, sending it flying inward off its hinges. Hunching over, to shelter Alli with his shell, he charged into the room, ready for a fight.

Except no one was there. It took him a second or two to search the entire place. Nothing.

Shaking, he sank to his knees, breathing in deeply the air of the room with trembling breaths. Peanut butter. Oil and metal, like D's robot lab where he wasn't allowed to touch anything, kind of like all of D's other labs. And Denim. She'd definitely been here. But he was too late.

The only comfort he could find was the absence of blood. If she'd been shot, there had to be blood, so that meant she couldn't be shot, right? She was totally ok, or as ok as anyone could be when the baddies had them. She was just…gone.

"Where's Mommy?"

Alli's voice brought him back out of the spiral he was descending into. That's right. Alli was still here. She was here and she needed him. He couldn't fall apart right now.

Taking a shuddering breath, he finally managed to answer. "She's out there. And we're gonna find her. No matter what."

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo dropped down to street level, once again holding back the annoyance he felt at Arcos' absence. He hadn't expected the bear to stay at the warehouse, to be honest. Where his mother was involved, he was usually right out the door. Apparently cyborgs ranked higher up on the totem pole nowadays.

"Leo," he heard Karai call his name, and in her snake form, she emerged from a copse of trees across from a seedy hotel. He ran to her, and she uncharacteristically changed into her human form and took him into her arms. Her head continued to move toward the parking lot, however, her eyes filled with sadness.

The scene did not look good.

His mother was on her knees on the asphalt, her face in her hands, her body heaving in sobs. Instead of his father being the one to comfort her, it was her Aries, down on the pavement with her, his large, three fingered hands on her shoulders. Splinter, for his part, was standing away from the pair, next to Michelangelo, who held Alli in his arms. They looked out down the street, Donnie walked up to them, a gadget in his hands, shaking his head.

Farther down the street Medusa was examining the ground, April at her side. Raph held Zoe in his arms, her own hands were flying about his head, a phone in her hands, her voice sounding like a siren wail from a police car. What has she thinking being so loud?

His eyes slid over the scene again, and he realized that Denim, Anton, and Yuuta were all absent.

"Oh no," he muttered.

Karai nodded. "They're gone."

"Why aren't we looking for them?" Leo called, entering the parking lot proper.

Aries, Splinter, Medusa, Donnie and April all looked at him, the others paid him no mind at all, as if he hadn't spoken. His ire began to rise, this not listening to him was starting to piss him off. How was he supposed to get anything done when no one would even acknowledge his presence, much less follow his orders?

"They're long gone, Leo," April said.

"We fan out," Leo began, "starting with the most logical places that they'd go, and then work our way-"

"There are no logical places for them to go," Donnie interrupted. "Alli's teacher assistant took off with Denim 'that way,'" Donnie pointed down the street, "on a motorbike. And some 'bad man' took Anton and Yuuta in a truck." He rolled his eyes. "Gotta love the vocabulary of a four year old."

"Hey!" Mikey shouted. "She gave us a lot of information!"

"He's not saying she didn't, Mikey," April put her hand on Donnie's arm protectively. "We're all worn out."

"Why aren't we going that way, then?" Leo flung his arm toward the street.

"You think we're that stupid, that we're just standing here waiting for you to arrive?" Medusa hissed.

"We have no way to know which way they turned," Donnie explained. "All of the traffic cameras are out of commission in this part of the city."

"They get broken as soon as they're installed," April went on at Leo's incredulous look. "They aren't the only people who don't want to be tracked, you know."

Leo sighed, bringing his fingers to pinch in between his eyes. "So now what?" he growled.

Karai poked him hard, and gestured to Phoenix, then to Zoe. "We deal with collateral damage."

TSOTCTSOTC

Her baby was gone.

"They saved me," Alli said through her tears. It was all Phoenix could do not to take the child and pull the words out of her little mouth, reaching down her throat to grab the information from her lungs before it hit her voice box and out into the world. "The bad man said if they got into the cages, he'd let me go."

"Cages?" she asked. "Like, animal cages?"

Alli nodded.

"Oh, gods," Zoe moaned.

"They got in the cages, and he drove off in the truck with them." Alli's face twisted in agony before another bout of tears assailed her tiny eyes.

Phoenix looked to Splinter, the father of her baby, and he stared at her, as if he were looking through her. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out, and before she knew it, she was on her knees, her face buried in her hands, sobs racking up from deep inside of her.

Her baby was gone.

She had already lost too many children. She could not lose him to. If she did, she would die. She was sure of it, as sure as she was of the tears that streamed down her face.

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe's heart tripped and sputtered, as her legs threatened to collapse beneath her. He was gone. They had Antonello. Her baby. The EDF had her baby. Her stomach rolled, the world around her shifting on its axis. Her worst nightmare was now her reality.

There was no time for waiting. Nothing to spare. Not a breath, not a blink. The things they would do to him-

There was only one thing for her to do.

She straightened in Raph's arms, putting a hand against his plastron so he'd loosen his vice like grip. He was breathing hard, his eyes wide in panic as he looked around them, like Anton would just appear. But he'd already scouted the area at least three times. As if he'd find something. But they both knew, they wouldn't.

He'd argue with her about this, and he wouldn't let her out of his sight if she didn't make it happen fast, like ripping off a band-aid. Only this- it was more like lifting a bandage that held your guts in; take it away and they'd all come spilling out.

But there was no other course. No time could be wasted. They needed someone on the inside, _now_.

"We're going to find him, Z."

She couldn't look at him, hated hurting him worse than anything. She wanted to kiss him, taste him on her lips and fix him in her mind, to keep, for always. Because she knew. But she couldn't raise any red flags in the next five seconds. Soon it would be over and up to their family to get him through.

She glanced at Mikey, Alli was beginning to slump over his shoulder, her eyes drooping. Phoenix had crumbled, Aries there to comfort her while Master Splinter appeared to be in shock. Everyone was just standing around.

Mikey looked at Leo, one hand on Alli's back. "I'm gonna take her home, and pick up the search again tomorrow. I can't-" His eyes welled and he looked toward the hotel then back to Leo who put a hand on his shoulder. Mikey looked like it was everything he had in him not to fall apart, yet somehow he managed to speak. "I have to take care of Alli."

Leo half-hugged his brother, giving Alli a pat on her back that the tot seemed too tired to respond to. Then he addressed their family. "We're going to split up in teams, and take shifts." Leo's gaze hit every pair of eyes that would look at him.

But all Zoe heard was 'take shifts', and she saw an opportunity. "Raph and I will keep looking, right now. First shift. I want to expand the search area. Maybe I'll sense Anton if we somehow stumble close to where they are."

Raph gave her a puzzled look, but didn't immediately argue. Then he spoke to Leo. "I ain't stopping till their home."

Leo frowned. "You have to rest in between. And you will, knowing that some of us will always be looking. You two go ahead. Karai and I will check the opposite direction. Everyone else head home. Send me your schedules and I'll work out a rotation. Everyone is to hit every resource they have first thing in the A.M., contacts, alliances, friends. If anyone finds anything, send out a group text."

Zoe tugged on Raph's arm, eager to get moving as their family seemed to dissipate. Mikey was gone. Aries scooped Phoenix up. Master Splinter followed silently behind them. April and Donnie were talking as they set off toward home. Medusa was talking to Leo and Karai, but Zoe wasn't listening.

It felt like they were giving up, though she knew that wasn't was happening. They thought they could wait, that there was time to wait, for a clue to surface or something to happen. But with every passing second Zoe knew all too well she might never see her son again, and if she did, he wouldn't be the same.

"Raph, let's search down by the river. There's lots of underground warehouses in that area, and we're not far." She folded her arms around herself and walked ahead of him so he'd have to follow her. As their lingering family members fell out of sight she picked up a fast walk.

"Slow down will ya? We might miss something." Raph fussed at her, after three blocks. He wasn't tired. He was truly looking at every detail around him. But Zoe didn't need to. She couldn't feel Anton. And that scared her more than anything.

As the river came into view she stepped into a jog, ignoring Raph when he yelled for her. Instead she picked up a cheetah speed sprint, putting several blocks between them. She could feel his panic rising as high and loud as his voice echoing off the surrounding buildings from blocks away.

But she was a sprinter and that only took her so far before she needed to rest. Stopping near the docks, she ducked between two buildings and reached a trembling hand into her pocket, fumbling for her phone. For a second her fear was so strong she couldn't remember how to use it. She swiped three times before the lock screen, a picture of Anton and Raph with matching smirks, disappeared. She struggled to find her contacts, and was grateful her bear brother's name began with an 'A'.

It rang once before he answered. "Zoe? Did you find them?"

Zoe licked her lips, found her mouth dry. "No. Put the cyborg on the phone."

"Why?"

Why? Why! There was no time for why! Her fingertips dug into the frame of the phone and it creaked, threatening to crack. "Arcos, I don't know what's going on between you two, but right now neither do I care. I can't hurt her through the phone so- Put. Her. On."

Seconds later a smooth female voice answered. "This is Sappho."

Zoe's gaze drifted over warehouses lining the street. Raph was getting close. She could feel him, like a cord stretched to its limit desperate to be reeled in. She'd have to move soon. "Where is the base? And not where you were staying. Don't feed me that BS. Just- where is the EDF base?"

"You know I don't know that. We are put in stasis for transfer so we cannot reveal the location." There was a pause. "You're going to surrender yourself, aren't you?"

Hearing her plans out loud was different than thinking them. It made it real. But they had Anton. She didn't know where, and they'd waste no time with their horrific experiments.

"They will reprogram you. You'll likely never even see him. You know there's no coming out of there the same person you are going in. You know that, right?"

She could hear Arcos in the background. "What? What is she doing? Zoe, don't do that!"

But she was going to do it and nothing and no one could stop her. Raph would be livid. But that wasn't reason enough for her not to go through with her plan. Not if it got her in. Not if it saved their son. "Make sure you tell Leo what I've done. Not Raph. He'll crush you in a fit if you talk to him- because you're still EDF to him. Ask Aries and Leo to look out for Raph. Mikey's going to be a mess on his own without Denim. Otherwise he'd do it. Someone make sure he's looked after too. I'd do it, but I can't right now, I'm sorry. And one more thing, tell Phoenix I'll get both of our babies. I won't stop until I do."

Arcos must have taken the phone back. "Zoe, don't do anything crazy. Where's Raph? Z-"

She disconnected the call. Then set up the screen to make a second. Her heart beat at a frantic pace, blood rushing through her so hard and fast she could hear the swooshing of her pulse in her ears. Of all the things she thought could happen, giving herself over to the EDF wasn't one.

She took a deep breath, punched in the nine digit emergency code then pressed call.

An electronic voice answered. "Operator. What is your designation?"

Zoe closed her eyes, struggling as her long suppressed programming came rushing to the surface. "Z1, field name, Zoe. I'm submitting myself for re-programming."

"Please hold as we pinpoint your location."

Her heart sank. She was separating herself from her family. Her team. People she could trust. She was taking a terrible risk. Her voice came out an uncertain feeble sound. "This phone is untraceable. Requesting extraction at-" she looked to the street sign, "the corner of Eastman and Laird. You have exactly sixty seconds before the enemy comes to retrieve me."

Feeling sick to her stomach, she disconnected the call. _You have exactly sixty seconds before the enemy comes to retrieve me._ The enemy. Enemy. She was surrendering herself to the enemy. Raphael was the farthest thing from it. To call him that, even for the mission- The mission. Saving her son wasn't a mission. Was it? She rubbed her face. "I will not lose myself to this. I won't. I'm going to get my baby and-"

And what?

They'd never stop.

She felt him before his shadow breeched the rooftop a block away. "Zoe!" He screamed her name, running full out toward her.

Headlights illuminated the street behind her. Her past was coming for her, and she'd go willingly if it would bring their son home. Even if it meant she stayed behind.

"Zoe, don't do this!" His green eyes were wide with panic.

The vehicle, a van she noted in her periphery, came to a halt behind her as Raph scrambled down the fire escape. "Please, Zoe, _please_!"

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she dropped her phone, and stepped into the vehicle. The door slid shut, tires squealing as they sped away. Her eyes darted to the rear view mirror, where Raph stood in the middle of the street, a green spot fading out of sight.

She allowed their men, dressed head to toe in black, to zip tie her hands behind her back. But as she took the seat she was directed to, a great wave of grief gripped her body as if one of Raph's own sai had pierced her heart. He was screaming, at her, for her, in frustration, rage, despair...

She closed her eyes, trying to will him to be calm. To think. To listen. But she wasn't a telepath. And his pain would not be quelled by her gift at an increasing distance. _Please, Raph, as long as you can feel me, you can find me._

There was a pinprick in her neck, and her head became heavy as darkness claimed her.

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey's anger had given way to a rush of relief upon finding Alli. Only it hadn't lasted, his blood was already simmering again, though it was shot through with icy jolts of fear and worry, all three of which were not his fave feelings.

Right then he had his sleeping daughter over one shoulder, not entirely certain that her forehead wasn't leaning too much on the edge of his shell and likely to leave a red mark. At this point she wouldn't wake from the discomfort, she was more exhausted than when he'd found her in the alleyway the time Keith Lowry had stolen her from them a year ago. How did this happen to anyone more than once in a lifetime?

Unless, you were a Hamato.

Which Alli was.

The frown stuck on Mikey's face made his jaw hurt. His facial muscles weren't used to holding the expression for so long. But as he slid the key in the lock, and walked in their apartment he knew it might be around for awhile.

Their home greeted him with a rush of his families combined scents. The ever present aroma of Italian herbs from the countless pizzas baked in their little oven, mingling with Alli and Denim's strawberry bath wash, it brought a fresh ache to his heart.

Denim's pillow was still on the couch, where she'd been sleeping, at least until he'd gotten home to move her each night. Her bunny slippers were on the floor and her robe draped over the armchair. Her favorite pink and white polka dot blanket was strewn across the back of the couch. She was everywhere, and yet nowhere and it gutted him. No, the unfortunate curve of his mouth was there to stay until all of this was made right.

The smacking of Alli's tongue clicking against her thumb drew him from his dreary thoughts. He was all Alli had, except for Connie, and if he could get this whole mess sorted without her grandmother ever being the wiser, he would. And with Yuuta and Anton missing, everyone would either be searching or working. There was no one available to watch her. Which meant it was up to him to take care of Alli.

He glanced at the clock on the microwave as he passed by the kitchen. It was super late, like Denim would have his shell if she knew how late.

But then they'd been kidnapped.

And Denim wasn't coming home.

His eyes welled as he pulled back Alli's pink comforter with the super cute animals all over it. It usually made him smile. She'd been so pumped when she saw it in the store and he'd bought it straight away for her new big-girl bed. He stifled a sniffle not wanting to wake her.

Even though he'd gotten Alli back, her missing mother had his chest hurting so bad he wasn't sure how he was breathing, let alone considering cute woodland creatures. He tucked her in, then watched her sleep for a minute, grateful she was in one piece and safe again.

He found it hard to leave her as he made his way to the master bedroom. He knew he should shower, it always made Denim mad when he'd come in covered in pizza grease and try to go straight to bed, then even more ticked when rooftop grime and soot were added to the mix. And if he brought even a drop of blood in their bed, she'd hit the roof that he didn't wake her up to take care of him, or go straight to his mom for healing.

He grabbed the toy stuffed rabbit he and Alli had gotten her for Valentine's Day, and sat down on the edge of the bed. It was funny how when someone was gone and you didn't know when they were coming back- or - he swallowed hard- or if- they were coming back, he could even miss them yelling at him. Though in truth it was rare that she really yelled. It was more like she made the right path really obvious, even for him. He laid his head back on the pillow, staring at the cracks in the ceiling.

His body was so heavy, desperate for sleep, but his mind, that was off to the races, replaying every moment for the past 12 hours. Had he missed anything? Where hadn't he looked? And what was happening to Anton and Yuuta? What was happening to their family? How was he going to take care of Alli, work double-shifts, and look for Denim? Was she hungry? Cold? Sick? Was she hurt? Was she- He closed his eyes, commanding that thought away. No. she was okay, and he was going to find her and bring her home.

The tell-tale thump of little feet hitting the floor, followed by a scamper brought his gaze to his bedroom door. Alli looked around in the dark before running straight to him. Her little fingers gripped his arm, and gods the hope in her tiny voice almost crushed him all over again. "Did you find her?"

She looked just like her mother. They even made the same faces, though Alli had started mimicking several of his best. His breath hitched. How badly he wanted to tell her yes. He'd still be out there looking, but he had to take care of her. That was his job too. It's what Denim would want.

She leaned toward him, bringing with her a mixed scent of strawberries and _dirt_? Denim would've given her a bath. It was going to be hard remembering everything he should do.

"Daddy?" She tugged on his arm. "I said, did you find Mommy?"

He was staring at her, his throat hurting like he'd been clothes-lined. His eyes blurred and the ache in his chest became near unbearable. There was no way he could form words. He shook his head, then scooted back and lifted the covers for her.

She clambered in then rolled toward him, thumb of one hand in her mouth while the fingertips of her other held onto her earlobe. Her big blue eyes were shiny in the faint light trickling in through the slats in the blinds. She stared at him, unspeaking. A tear slid down her cheek and he wanted to make a thousand promises he wasn't sure he could keep. So he kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes.


	56. Chapter 55

**A/N:** I'm sorry I haven't been replying to your encouraging reviews as well as I used to. I assure you guys each and every review is read, shared with the co-authors and deeply motivating. We truly appreciate each and every review. It keeps us writing. I'm not big on excuses but the holidays were hectic and all three authors of this role play are parents, so you can imagine. Anyhow, please keep talking to us, we thrive off your verbal support and we hope you are enjoying the story…

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix did not look up when her door opened in the morning. She lay curled in Yuuta's tiny bed. There was no reason for her to stay in her own bed when her husband had abandoned it so soon after their arrival. She was not aware if he had gone to the living room and slept or meditated on the couch, or if he had gone to the dojo to do it. Either way, he was not here with her, she was alone, and her tiny son, who couldn't even talk, was gone.

She had thought that the universe had punished her enough. She had been on constant vigilance during her pregnancy to keep herself from miscarrying, and it had been touch and go so many times, that the baby growing inside of her being born, at all. The fact that she had already passed the half century mark didn't help matters any. But she'd made it through, Yuuta had made it through, unlike the plethora of others that hadn't. She'd gotten her baby, all because she was jealous of a teenager who had gotten pregnant by accident, and she did not want her days as a mother to be over. She had committed the most ultimate act of selfishness that woman could-she'd brought a life into this world simply because she had wanted to do so.

Because of her selfishness, two little lives were now in danger, possibly ended, and an adult one in jeopardy. Anton, whom she half-raised herself, could be connected to who-knows-what, in attempt to recreate him. Unlike her, Zoe hadn't needed any special healing powers to keep her pregnancy intact. The birth was an entirely different story, but the growing of the little turtle-hybrid had been uneventful and full of fear and joy, just as it should have been.

She breathed in the blanket on his bed and began to sob again. She thought she'd never shed tears like this again. Three children she'd had ripped from her, now she had to endure a fourth and fifth? And that, too, she knew was selfish, what was happening to her little baby, to her little grandbaby? What was happening to Zoe? But it didn't stop her from feeling sorry for herself, that it was she that was being maltreated, and not the rest of the world.

"You have to try and feel for them," Splinter had said earlier that night, after they'd cried in each other's arms for who knew how long.

She tried, she truly did. She even managed, after closing her eyes and breathing for a good fifteen minutes, had managed to see the myriads of golden threads emanating from her body and connected to thousands of others. Whom they were, she didn't know. She plucked one, hearing the note that it sent out into the aether, as if it were a string on an instrument, and she realized that she did not know what Yuuta's note sounded like. She abruptly came out of the meditation, a sob wracking her.

"I don't know which one is his!" she cried.

Splinter had opened his eyes, coming out of his own meditation when she began to bawl. "What are you talking about?" he asked, his accent thick.

"I don't know what he sounds like," she said between hiccups.

Her husband shook his head, his brows an inverted 'v' in confusion.

"The strings," she said. "I don't know which one is his sounds. I only know yours."

"You see stings? Attached to people? And they make noise?" His voice was incredulous.

"Only when I pluck them," she explained.

"How long have you been able to see this?" he asked, anger being to lace his voice.

"For years," she replied. "Before I even met you, I heard your note."

"But no one else's?"

"No," she spat, tears still streaming down her face.

"Why not?" The inverted v had turned downward, his golden eyes flashing.

"Because I never thought I would need to!" she yelled. "It was just something neat that I noticed!"

"You _notice_ something that spiritual masters strive for a lifetime to achieve, and it is only something 'neat?" The anger in his voice was not longer veiled, but seethed out of him. "Something that could help us find our son and grandson?"

"I didn't know it would come in handy!" she cried. "And what are you doing with your eyes closed?" she snapped at him. "Going into the silence?"

"Trying to find our children," he bellowed.

She buried her face in her hands and began to sob once more. Splinter sighed, and she knew his shoulder's slumped and his ears drooped. She felt his arms around her, and she cried into his damp chest once more, until she fell asleep.

When she awoke, she reached to his side of the bed for him, but it was empty and cold. It was then she'd crawled out of it, and into Yuuta's.

"Leave her alone," she heard Karai say, her voice raw. "She's sleeping."

"No, she's not," Aries voice was harsh. She remembered he'd carried her home, had he stayed the night? "You can't let her stay in there and not do anything."

"She's grieving," Karai said. "She didn't sleep at all last night, we heard..."

"You don't _know..."_ Aries said, and it was then that the door opened.

"Know what?" Karai asked.

"What it was like before," the ram muttered. "Mama," he said, his voice still harsh. "You _have_ to get up."

She buried her face in Yuuta's blanket.

"Get _up!"_ Aries grabbed her shoulders and bodily lifted her from the bed.

"What are you doing?" Karai darted from the doorway to Aries side, grabbing his arm.

"Let her go, Aries," Medusa appeared at the door, blinking her black eyes, pupil-less and reptilian.

The ram ignored her.

"Where are Splinter and Leo?" Medusa asked, entering the room, smacking Aries in the arm.

"Put me down, Aries," Phoenix said, her voice cracking.

He did so, but placed her on her feet, and not on the little toddler bed.

"They're at the dojo," Karai explained. "Teaching their classes."

"You need to go and teach Zoe's classes," Aries said, bending down into his mother's face. "She's not here, and you're the one who knows yoga."

Her face twisted and new tears formed.

"Dry it up, Mama," Aries huffed, blowing her hair from her face.

"Aries," Medusa tried to slither in front of him, but he didn't move.

"No," he said angrily. "You won't stay here and waste away like you did-" he stopped abruptly.

"He's right, Mama," Medusa said gently. "Get out and do something. Go to clinic if you don't want to teach the yoga classes. I can take on an extra case or two and cover your rent."

Phoenix blinked, _Rent._ The word bounced in her head. They had to make rent. She hated rent. She hated buying food. She hated having to work. She hated money. They already had so many strikes against them. And now they had to give someone else money just to live.

She nodded. "No," she said, though she didn't stop crying. "I'll teach our classes." She wiped her face, but the tears kept coming. She made to walk past Aries.

"You don't have to," Karai said, her eyes filled with a rare compassion.

Phoenix shook her head again. "We have to pay rent," she spat the word out. "I'll teach."

TSOTCTSOTC

Donnie drummed his fingers impatiently on the desk as he waited for his computer analysis of all the medical data he'd collected on Denim to finish running. Part of his mind kept repeating that this might be an irrelevant waste of time, but he was doing his level best to block it out. He couldn't consider that possibility at the moment.

No. The plan would work and everything would be back to the way it was before, soon, because it just had to, and he needed to figure out why none of his calculations for Denim's nutrition and medication were lining up properly. Some of his assumed values for the variables had to be off somewhere, but which ones and how? Maybe when he started getting feedback from his mother's patients, now that he'd managed to produce the first large scale batch of medication, he'd get more insight into the problem.

Mom.

He could feel the guilt gnawing at his stomach. He'd been such a petulant brat towards her for the last week. And now Yuuta was gone, along with Anton and Denim.

 _Don't think about it. Keep busy._

She'd looked so shattered last night, contrasting with Zoe and Raph's panicked desperation. And Mikey staggering back among them with only Alli. Despite his best efforts, it was all he saw whenever he closed his eyes. That's why it was better not to try sleeping now. He could sleep again when everyone was home safe. Which wouldn't even have been necessary, if only they could have moved a little faster. Somehow.

 _They were running the rooftops at max speed. He knew how serious the situation was, because April had set aside her pride and was clinging tightly to the back of his shell, so as not to slow him and Aries down as she gave directions. Fast as she was, she still seemed to suffer the physical limitations that constrained ordinary humans and would never be as quick or strong as her fully mutant family members no matter how hard she pushed herself in training. Still she put most other humans to shame with her physicality and he was proud of her for that._

 _He almost tripped over his own feet in an effort to skid to a halt when she let out a ragged cry instead of an adjustment to their direction._

" _April?"_

 _She sagged against him. "We're too late."_

 _He frowned. "Too late for what? What's happened?"_

" _They're gone."_

 _And that had been all she said and would say about it, despite his best efforts at coaxing more information out of her. It ended up being the distant lamentations of the rest of their family that led them the rest of the way._

 _Once he'd realized how severely things had gone wrong, he'd reluctantly left April with Aries and his distraught parents and siblings while he Medusa and Karai fanned out in order to grasp how truly hopeless the situation was._

 _No conventional means of tracking would do any good and their supernatural assets didn't seem any better. As he'd trudged back in defeat, he could see that neither his mother nor Zoe were in any condition to pull out a mystical last minute save._

 _April had seated herself in lotus position on the pavement, her fingertips pressed to her temples concentrating. He'd felt a flicker of hope watching her reach out for them, until she'd fallen backwards, thrashing, and screaming. The few minutes it had taken her to fall limp in his arms had been the coup de grace of misery for what was already an impossibly crappy evening. Everything had gone wrong so fast._

Between her follow-up migraine, frustration, and grief, she hadn't been too willing to discuss what happened, but if what he understood from the cybo…Sappho, was correct, the EDF had been studying the Kraang's human experimentation for years now. While he didn't know the extent of what they'd gleaned so far from their test subjects, it would seem that they had enough to put up defenses against being assaulted by the inexplicable powers it manifested in humanity.

So, that left them with one primary recourse. Sappho's plan. It could work. He knew that everyone was chomping at the bit to do something now, but this was probably their best shot. Knowing that didn't make him any less antsy as he set the medical analysis to rerun on another set of parameters for what was now the fifth time in a row. No matter the reason, waiting sucked.

He'd managed the easy part last night, modifying Sappho's skull to create an easily opened panel to the computer circuitry in her head and install a cable access port. The process had seemed to unnerve Arcos, who, while unwilling to leave the room, had avoiding directly watching him work. That was fine. He hadn't exactly been comfortable restoring her full ability to move either, though Arcos had insisted, so it balanced out.

Now he needed to custom design the cable he'd use to connect her to his computer systems. The EDF hadn't significantly altered the neural interface that the Kraang had used to mentally interact with their robots and Kraang-tech was fussy about interacting compatibly with Earth-tech. Considering that they were interdimensional aliens, he supposed he should be happy that any compatibility was possible.

But it meant that the cable was going to require rhodium and palladium, and in not inconsiderable quantities, at a minimum to function. Both were used industrially enough, that he could have scavenged them, regardless of recycling efforts to reclaim the precious materials, were time not a factor. Unfortunately, time was a factor, the factor. This mission was a race against the clock.

So, he'd had to bite the bullet and rush order the metals, upon whose arrival he was now impatiently awaiting. The stupid thing would be cheaper if it were made from pure platinum. Between life's ordinary expenses, his sabbatical from work and his best efforts in frugally investing in his mother's medical project, their funds had been mostly depleted. Given the frequent financial needs of the family, they hadn't really been able to save all that much anyway. And so, the purchase had needed to be done on credit. As a mutant, and in April's case mutant affiliate, they technically did not have access to credit, but her dad had been willing to help them out. He'd find a way to pay it back. Somehow.

That was a problem that could be tackled later. When everything was ok again. For now, he needed to keep himself busy while April assembled the portion of the cable that they could build now. He'd tried helping, but had been shooed off as she worked with single-minded determination, her steely blue eyes focused on task.

The EDF didn't know it yet, but they'd stumbled across the worst possible transgression against his sweet chinchilla. No one took away her family. And when she found them, which she would, there would be hell to pay.

She was right though. Her delicate, five-fingered hands were much better suited to the task. The downside being that he was left with the quandary of what to do with the time this left him with. He enumerated his checklist, again. Modify Sappho. Complete. Construct the cable. In progress. Decipher the code used to program Sappho, probably the most difficult and time consuming part of the process. Queued. Rewrite his own version of the program and custom build hardware to run it. Queued.

His foot began tapping impatiently and April tensed. Willing it still, he considered what else there was to keep him busy. He could tell his mother that the meds for her patients were ready. Did she need to keep busy too? Would that help? Or would it be a painful reminder of what she'd just lost? He couldn't decide.

A few more moments of strangling his impatience made the decision for him. So, he pulled out his phone to contact the replacement phone he'd left for Karai to give her, earlier that morning. Anything had to be better than waiting.

TSOTCTSOTC 

Raph walked up and down the sidewalk, wiping his palms on his pants. His shoulders were tense, bunched up near his jaw, at least it felt like it. His head ached from lack of sleep, but it was the awful pain in his chest, right beneath his plastron. That he could hardly bear. It was like a squeezing hurt, someone slowly turning the handle on a vice that gripped his heart. Eventually it would force the air from his lungs. He paused before the building again, looked at the door and swallowed hard before resuming pacing.

The truth was, this pain, he wasn't made for it. This was why he never let anyone in to begin with. He didn't have the choice with his brothers and father. They were there from the beginning. He wasn't sure if they were given to him or if he was given to them, but they were there and he had to live with the threat building in his chest, because they were always there and he couldn't let them go away. Damn scary thing, loving someone. He loved his father and brothers, loved them like their lives depended on him, because they did. And he wouldn't let them down because he couldn't. If something happened to one of them, well he couldn't live with that. So it wasn't an option. And neither was letting anyone else in, because four was too many already.

He'd call Don a nerd, he'd whack Mikey over the back of the head for being a dweeb, and he'd jab at Leo for trying to be like their dad. But the truth was, Donnie's smarts had saved their shells more times than Raph's fists ever had. At least he thought so. And Mikey, the knucklehead, he'd come up with a save when everyone- even Don- was out of ideas. Crazy little bro had a way of seeing what everyone else missed too. It was all in the details. Raph scoffed, jabbed his hands in his pockets only to pull them out and wipe them on his pants again.

He forced a shaky breath, looked to the building door then made yet another pass. Leo, well Leo was smart, skilled, and patient. The patient part, Raph most certainly was not. He knew it was their differences that made them strong, so they could protect one another in their dark little world. Their father had taught them well so the odds were in their favor. Yet not. But they were good enough. There hadn't needed to be more than his precious four, because more to love was more to risk, more to worry about, more to-

He closed his eyes, damning the second he laid eyes on her for the thousandth time in five years. But he could never forget it. She was ingrained in his mind, his heart and his damned spirit. He could never forget their journey together. In the beginning she'd killed with the efficiency of an assassin, precise, quick, and bloody as hell. She'd ripped men's throats out, delivered kill strikes, slaughtered dozens in minutes. Minutes. Dead. Not injured, not twitching and writhing. Dead. Eliminated. Then she'd crumbled like a tiny paperball, so light a good wind might've come along and blown her away.

And like the dumbass he was he tried to help her. Took her back in her apartment and when Leo offered to stay and talk to her, he sent him away. Because he knew. He felt in it in the air between them, the damn invisible thread that bound them together before he knew who or what she was, the same damn thread that carried him to her rooftop in the first place. The very thing that would never let him walk away from her, and had his chest caving in on him right then. Damn her and those big gray eyes. Damn her and that warm soft body. Damn her and that sassy mouth. Damn her. Damn her. Damn!

His jaw shifted, his teeth grinding together as he made another pass by the door. Damn. Like she wasn't a handful in and of her own, a threat _he_ brought home, a threat like a knotted up ball of yarn that he untangled. A threat that wove the damn string around him and tugged the seams tight with him helplessly bound within them. She was so lost, so closed off, and when his father pointed to him and said, 'sensei'. He'd jumped at the chance. But the job didn't come without strings. Zoe didn't come without strings. She came with an army of trouble.

Still, she'd looked on him with open, hopeful eyes, wrapped her arms around his neck and thanked him. And his damn heart, that stupid sputtering thing. Brick by brick she tore him down, and stone by stone he repaired the damage to her. He wasn't sure who fixed who really. She filled the gaps in spaces within him that he either didn't know he had or was determined to ignore. But damn it she fit, and before he knew it he wanted her there, in that sacred place among his brothers and father, deep in the muscle that kept him alive. The useless thing he didn't want to think about. It felt whole, and that felt good. It couldn't have gotten any better.

His eyes darted over the windows though he tried not to count them. He started walking again, forcing his breaths in and out. In and out. It couldn't have gotten any better. But then it did.

For all the things Raphael had done in his short life, the impossible becoming possible wasn't something he would've ever considered for himself. Donnie most likely, Mikey maybe, and Leo- well more likely Leo than him, but never ever him. But that was before Zoe, who in and of herself was something he never thought possible. Someone who loved and devoted herself to him.

Then she went and stretched the bubble of five, the safe place that was his brothers, his father, and her. The place that was already thin and fragile and fiercely protected. She went and squeezed Antonello into that bubble and he knew, he knew the second that tiny cry hit his ears and those little green fingers wrapped around the tip of his. There was no going back. He had everything to lose, so much. It was dangerous, and it terrified and thrilled him all at once.

He stopped before the building again, took a step toward it, then back then turned and kept walking. Everything to lose. Everything and he'd lost it. Everything that mattered shrank into two beings he could not be without and he'd lost them both without ever getting in the fight. He'd risked everything he was on her, and just like that she was gone. And she wouldn't come back to him right. Because he would. He'd get her back. He'd get them both back if it killed him, because he was more than willing to pay that price. But then dying wasn't an option, not when he'd have to fix her all over again. He bit back a scream that scorched his throat so bad his lips felt the heat. He closed his eyes and wrung his hands. What were they doing to them? Would they both be broken? He wanted to pick up his sai, he wanted to sink the tips deep into whoever had their hands on his family. He wanted to end them. The way what they'd done threatened to break him.

"Hey, fella? You been walkin' back an' forth outside this buildin' for a while now. Do I gotta call the cops?"

Raph inhaled deep, kept his head down and exhaled slow.

"Hey! Fella! I'm talkin' ta you!" A hand came down on his arm and before Raph could stop himself he reached up, grabbed the guys wrist, turned and twisted and- "Raph! It's me! Open your eyes an' look at me! It's Casey! What is wrong with you? I was just messin' with ya!"

Raph's eyes shot open as he looked into the familiar square jaw of Casey Jones. "Casey?"

"Why're you walkin' back and forth outside yer buildin?" Casey's bushy brown eyebrows lifted as he motioned toward the front door. "You-n Zoe have a fight?"

Raph sighed as he released his friends hand. He'd never been so glad to see the knucklehead in all his life. It was perfect timing. Hope blossomed in his chest but he squashed it quick, knowing his girl was coming back to him messed up and hoping his son wasn't too. "Nah. I tell you what. Let's you an' me bust some heads like old times. Maybe we'll drum up some intel."

"On what?" Casey scratched the back of his head. "The guys we bust up, Raph, ya gotta know they ain't that smart."

Raph rolled his eyes. "Come on Case, I'll explain on the way."


	57. Chapter 56

Medusa seriously thought about texting Horace and telling him that they couldn't see each other anymore. But she couldn't make herself go through with the cliche, so she showed up at his shop just as he was closing.

He broke into a huge smile, his teeth seeming very white against his dark skin in the waning light. "Hey, Medusa," he almost sang. "What are you doing here?"

"Horace," she said with a sigh. "We need to talk."

The smile disappeared from his face. "What did I do?"

"Oh," she crooned. "You didn't do anything." She placed one of her thin hands on his shoulder. "You have done _everything_ right. That's why I can't put you in danger any longer."

"Put me in danger?" He locked the door to the shop and turned to face her. "What are you talking about?"

She blinked her black eyes. "My family-" the explanation was much easier in her mind before she arrived her, "-isn't normal."

"I know," he said. "You're all a bunch of mixed mutants."

She chuckled. He said it so innocently. "More than that," she replied.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "You have a brother or sister who is more than one animal? Your mom and dad are wildebeasts? Or dragons?"

She laughed again. "No," she said gently. "My mom is a human and my dad is a rat."

"How is that not normal when your brother is a bear?" He put his hands out in front of him, palms up, in confusion.

"Oh, Horace," she wrapped her arms around him and drew him to her.

He stiffed in her embrace, so she was about to let him go, before her slid his arms about her, too, and squeezed. "Tell me," he begged.

She let him go. "People are after my family," she said quickly. "They've already kidnapped my baby brother, my nephew, and my sister-in-law."

His mouth dropped open. "Who?" he asked. "What do the police say?"

"The police don't deal with mutants," she said bitterly. "We aren't even people, Horace. We're either a resource to be exploited or we're a nuisance."

"That's not what you are," Horace exclaimed. "How can they-"

Shaking her head, she put both of her arms on his shoulders. "Horace," she cut him off. "The EDF has stolen my family. The police are not going to help. No one is going to help. The rest of the family has to find them." She paused, Horace looking at her confused. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you. I _like_ you. I like you more that I've liked anyone in a long time."

"But the EDF helps people," Horace said. "They saved the world from the aliens during the invasion. They're the first people at natural disasters to help the survivors."

"They are an organization that kidnaps people and mutants and does who-knows-what to them. They've kidnapped my brother and nephew, they tried to kidnap my niece other-sister-in-law, and they have my other sister-in-law, who was an experiment of theirs in the first place. They're after my mother and third sister-in-law, and probably after me and my brothers, too." She cupped his cheek. "Knowing me puts you in danger," she said.

He pursed his lips, squinting. "It's my choice to decide whether I am in danger or not."

"Horace-"

"-No, Medusa," Horace interrupted. "People kidnapping people aren't interested in me. I-" he sighed. "I like you, too. More than I've liked anyone in a long time. And I'm not willing to let that go."

"Knowing me is unsafe."

"I know Voodoo," he said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho sat cross-legged on the bed, watching Arcos paint in between her episodes of pacing. He was set up in the corner, where light streamed in from the old, patched-up, industrial-sized window at the end of the partitioned off room. She'd almost gone over to see what he was creating several times, but always held back, unsure if doing so was appropriate. Beyond being aware that there existed a set of social norms that governed the behavior of people, she generally didn't know what those rules were without researching them in advance.

Instead, she tried to focus on sorting through the plethora of new experiences. She had chosen not to sleep through the night. Over the years, she mastered the art of not waking up screaming when she dreamed of the girl who died in the fire. But she suspected Arcos might be more in tune with her distress and didn't want to add to his burdens.

Instead, she'd spent the night thinking. It was like she'd leapt off a precipice without knowing where she would land. Everything she knew was gone, replaced with an unfamiliar world, full of uncertainty. There was no clear purpose anymore. No criteria for what to do, how to act. No structure at all.

It should have been unnerving, but instead it felt exhilarating. Like she could do anything. The suffocating prison that she hadn't even been aware of as her existence was now an open field of possibilities. She could, and probably would, make all kinds of mistakes, but that wasn't enough to make her want to turn back. She was free. Save for one last hurtle.

Seized with another fit of restlessness, she rose to pace the room again. It was strange. She wasn't accustomed to fear, but was relatively certain that's what she was experience. As a tool, a weapon, there'd been nothing to fear. Even death had seemed a perfectly acceptable outcome, one of many likely possibilities in her work. Of course, until recently she'd never had anything to lose. But it still wasn't death that frightened her. No. The idea that they'd take this fragile new existence from her and make her into an automaton was what truly gnawed at her. While it was a type of death, it seemed so much worse than actually dying. Especially now that she'd had a taste of what living might be.

Part of her wanted to cut her losses and run. And maybe if it had been for anyone else she would have. But last night, when Leonardo had come over to fill Arcos in on the details if what had transpired, she'd watched his expression and it had hurt. She didn't understand how one person's pain could be experienced by another. It made no sense. Emotion was not a contagious disease. And yet, she hurt as he did, whether or not it made sense. Terrifying or not, she could not walk away from it.

Trying to exist more in the moment, savoring what precious little time she might have before it was gone, she tried to push thoughts of the future from her mind.

With slow, controlled breaths she set a more sedate pace as she made another circuit of the room.

It was strange not being watched all the time. Well, Arcos was watching her in the edge of his vision, but it felt different than the constant scrutiny of the EDF or even Arcos's own family members. His watching was more a general awareness, a welcome sensation that didn't make her instinctively retreat within herself. It was the first time she'd wanted anyone to see, really see, her.

Her stomach clenched as she realized that she probably wouldn't have the opportunity to get used to it. Was she really making the right decision? Yes, she was their best chance, but it was still a long shot with potentially unbearable consequences. What if this was a horrible mistake that accomplished nothing?

Slowing to a halt next to a pile of sketchbooks heaped upon a desk, which she had already passed several times before, she flipped one open to break the flow of thought.

Her breath caught. They were drawings. Of her? Except she looked alive. Like a real person, not just some pale imitation of one. How? Was this what he saw when he looked at her?

Her eyes burned with the phantom sensation of wanting to cry, though that functionality was not built into them as she continued to flip through the pages of who she could have been. Should have been.

Choking back the lump in her throat, she looked up to see Arcos looking back at her.

No. Helping him wasn't a mistake. It was the person she would strive to be for as long as she had a choice.

TSOTCTSOTC

"You remember how this works, don't you, Zoe?"

The sound echoed off the walls as she opened her eyes to darkness. She was on a floor. She pressed her fingertips to the ground, finding it damp. Concrete. Her fingers burned and she jerked them back to her side, wiping them off on her- gi? Where were her yoga pants?

She sat up, her fingers brushing more of the burning liquid. She wiped her hand over her shirt finding a cloth belt at her waist and the familiar folds of her old uniform. Her heart sank. Immersion. It was like she'd never left.

"You remember how this works, don't you, Zoe?"

The voice repeated itself, coming from somewhere above her. Probably not in the room, she decided. She'd sat there at least five minutes, waiting for the fog in the back of her head to clear, but it didn't seem to be going away anytime soon.

"You remember how this works, don't you, Zoe?"

Her teeth ground together as she closed her eyes again. "Stop saying that," she mumbled.

Laughter. Was it a male or female voice? She thought to listen closer seconds too late.

"You remember how this works, don't you, Zoe?"

Damn it. She tried to shut out the annoyance, to listen for other clues as to her whereabouts. Finely tuned ears reached out into the darkness like a tuning fork. The flow of water in pipes to the wall by her feet. The trickle of something thick oozing down a wall to her left...

"You remember how this works, don't you, Zoe?"

Stop saying that. She had the sense not to say it, at least she thought she did until more laughter ensued and her voice echoed off the walls to blend with it. Her ear drums hurt and her ire rose.

 _I'm right here. Focus on me. You're doing great._

Raph. Remember Raph. Remember Anton. Remember why you're here. Breathe. In and -

"You remember how this works, don't you, Zoe?"

Damn it! Was it a recording? Her hands clenched into a fist. No. No. _I've got this. I've got this._ She listened again, a faint constant hiss feeding into the air above her. She took a tiny sniff. While she couldn't smell anything her tastebuds alerted her to the sour milk flavor she experienced when they'd injected her with mutagen. Her heart picked up pace as a single black light bulb illuminated above her.

"Look quick, the shows about to begin. You remember how this works, don't you, Zoe?"

Her heart clenched as she recognized the puppet masters voice. Her Sensei. The cool, sinister sound that had whispered promises of a terrible future, that pushed her until she'd snapped. That made her do terrible-

Her eyes darted over the room, though she wanted to shut them. She looked beyond the puddles of mutagen and the long strands of hair strewn about. Weapon. Weapon. Find a weapon.

The room was empty, four concrete walls, the outline of a door, the wall behind her a two way mirror. She looked up at the same time the light went out, the slow to darken bulb granting her a glimpse of an air vent, and to the left of it a sprinkler trickling in a mist of mutagen laced gas.

She leapt up, intending to grab onto the slats and tear the vent down. But her body wouldn't grant her what should be easy height, instead her knees buckled on her awkward landing and she fell. Her eyes widened as her fingertips curled in her very catlike instinct to grip onto something.

There was the laughter again. Her sensei's cruel laugh. The sound that gave her nightmares, made her blood burn and her skin itch.

"Do you know how to throw a cat off balance, Zoe? You cut its whiskers. I thought you didn't have any at first, but Baxter said I was wrong. Come on, Zoe. Get in the game. You remember how this works, don't you?"

Her pulse became an audible sound in her head as she lifted shaking fingers to her hair. It should rest at her waist, but she found dead air. Higher, she reached behind her, feeling at her shoulder blades. Nothing. Her body began to tremble as turned her head and felt a rush of cold air on her neck. Finally she found jagged strands just along her jaw.

It's just hair. It's just hair. It's just hair. Find Anton and get out. That's all that matters. Keep your head straight. Stay focused.

"Tic toc, Zoe. It's almost time for a visitor."

She closed her eyes to the darkness, reaching inward to center herself before reaching out to gain spacial awareness.

She could adapt.

Cats with no tails adapted. So would she.

Chances were good there were weapons in that air vent, at the very least she'd have a projectile to fight whatever walked through that door. She leapt for the ceiling again, bumping her head on the lightbulb. A shower of glass rained down on her as something cut her scalp. She spread her hands out at her sides, crouching in the air as she braced for another awkward landing. While she rolled through the puddles of mutagen burning through her gi and singing her exposed skin, the door flew open.

TSOTCTSOTC

He had to work in between searching, rent wasn't going to not come even though Denim was gone. And since his little brother and nephew were missing too, that meant everyone else was out trying to drum up info. Which made it clear that Mikey had to send Alli back to school, even though she'd just been kidnapped from it not 24 hours ago.

He'd found the principal less than helpful. He kept asking questions without giving any information when Mikey tried to explain what was going on. It didn't seem important to him when Mikey reported the imposter teaching assistant. The man had merely told him, 'I'll look into it.' Though from the way he eyed the smashed ink pen laying on a tissue at the corner of his desk, Mikey sensed researching the TA wasn't a priority. No matter, Donnie would do it, if he hadn't already.

"Mr. Hamato," the principal frowned, "Ms. Sanders crushed my pen the other day. When you see her, tell her I'm prepared to honor her request once she's replaced my property."

Mikey stared at the bug-eyed man. "Dude, she's missing. Haven't you heard anything I said?"

The man sighed. "Mr. Hamato, I'm not even supposed to be speaking to you. But, I hope you understand we need to keep all of this nasty business away from the school. We have a reputation-"

Air rushed out Mikey's nostrils. "Dude, just keep Alli safe. Can you do that?"

"Of course our school is safe, Mr. Hamato." The principal began shuffling papers on his desk. "Thank you for stopping by."

Mikey stared at him. Seriously? Where was his sense of urgency? Concern? His teeth ground together. Where was his _humanity_?

Hoping against hope that the EDF would leave his daughter be, he walked the five blocks to Woody's, stopping every soul he passed to show them the picture of Denim on his phone. "Have you seen this woman?"

It didn't usually bother him when people balked, ran away, or looked at him like he was crazy. It did when he was younger, but he was used to it now. Yet, for some reason right then, it was hitting every frayed nerve he had. He was starting to think he was going to turn into Raph. He sighed, his shoulders slumping as he pushed open the pizza parlor door.

Even the scent of pizza dough and fresh baked pies didn't have its full impact. He wasn't even hungry. Not even a little. Well maybe a smidge. His stomach balled into a knot as Woody marched toward him with a scowl on his face. No. Not even a smidge.

"Mikey! Where the heck is Denim? She was supposed to work three hours before going to her other job this morning? And why're you late? You were supposed to be here when she was! Dude, that was four hours ago!"

Michelangelo sighed. "Woody, we need to talk."

TSOTCTSOTC

 _Strips of light filtered through Denim's partially opened eyelids. Just beyond the edge of a pale blue woven blanket, sat a blurry form that resembled Kyle's mother._

 _Her entire head ached like it was being crushed in a vice, and though Connie was whispering her southern sass hit Denim's ears like a megaphone._

 _"You were shot in the head, Denim. But don't worry-" Connie's voice cracked, "the baby is okay. And you're going to be okay." The woman's face appeared just inches from Denim's. "But Kyle's gone. He's gone." She sniffed, and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. "As soon as you're released we'll hold the funeral. I refused to let them bury him without you there. You two went through so much together."_

 _She could hardly look her in the eye. She didn't know... "It was my fault."_

 _Connie's face was swallowed by the light growing brighter and brighter through the window._

 _As it faded Denim sat in a rocker in the guest room of Connie's brownstone, one hand on her straining belly, the other clutching an open book about infants. Her eyes welled and she sighed._

 _"You are so special, Alli. Of all the things your dad and I have done together over the years-" Her throat hurt like something was lodged in it and she swallowed in an effort to quell her grief. "You are the very best of the both of us."_

 _But she longed for her friend, tears prevailing as she hurt for every moment he would miss..._

 _Her birth._

 _Her first cry._

 _Rolling over, sitting up, crawling._

 _Her first steps._

 _First words._

 _So many firsts..._

 _He'd never even get to meet her. To see her. To hold her. And love her, more than any woman. But then he did in a way, died for her, for them both._

 _It was the rattling wails of a newborn that woke her next. She bolted upright, scrambling from the bed, padding through the darkness with sleep heavy in her chest. The front of her nightgown was soaked through with milk, casting a chill over her skin. She should change. But Alli's vibrato cry near stole Denim's breath and she couldn't pick her up fast enough._

 _The second Alli's bright pink cheek touched Denim's neck she quieted. Her tiny hands curled and clawed as she began to root around like a bird pecking the ground. Denim sighed as she made her way to the bed, piling up pillows to lean against while trying to keep her eyes open._

 _Staying with Connie had lasted all of a week before Alli's crying became a source of constant complaint. So there she was, in a one bedroom apartment, rent kindly covered by Connie for two months, long enough for her to recover from giving birth and to get a job._

 _Her head started to bob as Alli nursed. "Can't go to sleep," Denim yawned. "So I'll tell you about the time your daddy and I got caught using Grandma's fine china for target practice." She stroked the infants ginger locks, shining like copper in the faint light bleeding through the sheet she'd hung over the window. She let out a soft chuckle, recalling Connie's outrage at the incident. "She said find something in the garage. She didn't say what."_

 _He'd ducked as his mother swat him over the back of the head, much like Mikey's brother's did to him..._

 _Mikey..._

 _But Mikey wasn't there..._

 _Michelangelo._

 _Michelangelo!_

 _Their baby!_

Kyle had aimed the gun at her head. Then she'd been shocked again. Every jolt before it paled in comparison, she thought the blistering pain would never end, until her insides would fry and she'd burn from the inside out. Then he aimed for her throat and fired...

Denim squint into the dim light, aware that she could feel the ache of every abused muscle and irritated nerve in her body. She was lying on concrete, though there was something soft under her head. She let her eyes fall closed again with a grunt. Trying to focus inward.

Seconds passed, one breath, two, three. But the little flutters she'd felt before weren't there. Her chest constricted, her fractured ribs protesting, her broken arm throbbing, but she didn't care.

Her eyes filled. She rocked to her back and when the collar dug into her flesh she fought back a sob. As she lay there, unwilling to open her eyes, to face a world without Alli, without her baby, or Mikey-

Why was she still breathing? Why hadn't he killed her?

Seconds passed.

She sensed his presence. But his wasn't the face she wanted to see. She never thought she'd know a day when she wouldn't want Kyle back. But in that very moment, stripped of everyone she loved, of the family and life she'd struggled for, the only faces she wanted to look on where Alli's baby-toothed grin, and Mikey's electric baby blues while he flashed her his mega watt smile... Watching him helping Alli dress her babydoll, even though he struggled with it himself. Then her sweet harmonic laugh when he did it wrong.

Or Alli sprawled across his plastron, a string of drool pooling just below her lip, while Mikey snored with one arm dangling off the couch. Denim would poke his foot with hers, enough that he'd lift his head and look at her. She'd smile and motion to Alli. His mouth would curl in that beautiful, honest way as he scooped her up and tucked her in, then he'd snuggle up next to her in their bed, whispering silly things to her belly.

Her life had never been so good, so whole. Tears slipped down her cheeks. Her world was caving in on her for the umpteenth time. And though she should be used to it, she hurt worse than ever.

She lowered her good hand to her abdomen. Please. Please. If I never get to see him again, if I've lost Alli, please, let me at least have this.

One breath.

Two.

Three.

She let out a shaky exhale, struggling not to break down in her miserable defeat.

Then she felt a stir.

And another.

Then a stronger one.

Then a jerk against her insides.

Her brow furrowed, her eyes opening as she looked toward her hand. If she didn't know better she'd think there was a fight going on in there. She let out a relieved breath, letting her head fall back. Mutant babies were strong. At least hers was. Thank goodness.

Something to fight for.

That was all the motivation she needed.

She looked to Kyle, or not-Kyle's back. He was working on himself again. She braced herself for the worst, but she needed to know. "What happened to my daughter?" Her lip quivered, as her throat closed up. "Is she-"

TSOTCTSOTC

Splinter was more than surprised when his wife walked through the door, donned in yoga pants and a yoga mat over her shoulder. Unlike Zoe, she never wore a tank top to class, the old circular scars below her collarbone, and the large claw mark on her shoulder distracted the students, they had discovered early on. She was self-conscious enough around humans, Splinter had noticed almost immediately upon their emergence above ground, about the two scars on her temples that she normally wore her hair down to cover them up. Displaying more healed wounds and finding that the general populace found the look distasteful, did little for already shaky esteem as far as her looks went. So with a tight t-shirt, that hid the scars, but high-lighted the yogi's body, she set her mat out.

 _She's here to substitute for Zoe,_ he realized. His chest clenched at the reminder of why Zoe needed to be replaced and why his wife was free to replace her.

His son and grandson were gone.

She glanced at him as he went through a set of katas with his group of inexperienced students, a correcting rod in his hand, so he could help them keep their back, legs, and arms straight, but his and his wife's eyes didn't catch right away, and she turned from him, sitting in lotus, her hands on her knees in mudra and closed her eyes.

"Sensei?" a student asked, bringing his attention back to class. "Am I doing this right?"

He corrected the young man, annoyance at himself rising up in his belly and reaching out to the woman who sat, seemingly serene. Why couldn't she do that at home, with him? Why was it saved for here? She had been a basket case when he'd left that morning to open the dojo for morning meditation. While her face was paler than normal, and the familiar smile was not in her eyes, she seemed put together.

Their son and grandson, their daughter-in-law, was gone.

And she was sitting on the mat acting like she was meditating.

He could feel that she wasn't. Her energy was scattered, all over the place, most likely following her mind to the various scenarios that lead her to sitting on that mat at that very moment. Perhaps she was replaying the night before, watching what they held precious to them disappear. Heaven knew he had. Over, and over, and over again.

He had stretched out his awareness in every way he knew how to feel for Anton and Yuuta during the morning meditation, but to no avail. Either his anger at Phoebe would creep back up into his chest, _Who knows they are connected to their loved ones, and doesn't figure out how to identify who is who?_ or his awareness would hit a wall, like a heavy push pressing him away. He knew what both boys felt like, they had meditated enough times that even with their young and still largely ephemeral ki, he could identify it if he felt it, even if only from the residual ki of their mothers'.

When Leo had spoken with him after morning meditation about the plan they had devised, he had felt only a modicum of hope. If he, April, nor Phoebe were able to find them psychically and Donnie was not able to find them physically, then what chance had they to find them? Could this cyborg really do what they proposed?

Leo seemed to think so.

"Sensei?" another student asked, her voice concerned. This one was gifted with empathy. Nothing that would make her extraordinary to someone like himself, who lived a ilfe of extra-ordinariness. But she was astute enough that picked up on subtle cues of those around her, someone who would make an excellent counselor, a teacher, a nurse, a doctor, a servant of the people. At the moment, however, the young woman's astuteness irked him. He wanted to be alone to dwell on his hurt, not have it pointed out that he was not paying attention.

"Yes?" he asked, his voice tranquil.

She asked him a question that he only half heard. He heard his voice answering, but wasn't sure what he was saying. _My son and grandson, my son's mate, are gone. They are gone and there is nothing I can do to help them. There was nothing I could do last night to help them. I cannot even begin to help them..._ his thoughts began to spin down the replay of the night before, the panic, the dread, the numbness, and then the anger.

He was angry at Yuuta and Anton for going off by themselves. He was angry at Aries, who was at the table with them, for not noticing them run off. He was angry at Leo and Raph and Arcos for not noticed them gone sooner. He was angry at Karai and Medusa for not being able to find them when they'd left. He was angry at Zoe and Phoebe for not being able to sense their own children, who were danger, who could, at this very moment, be dead. He was angry at Donnie and April, for neither of them having a solution to the problem. He was angry at Mikey, Denim, and Alli for causing this in the first place. But most of all, he was angry at himself, because he was ineffectual-a useless old man, a relic, unable to protect his own family.

He heard a crack, followed by several gasps. His eyes flew to his wife, his first thought was that she had done something stupid move and broken something. Her dark green eyes were wide open, looking at his, as she sat in the exact same position she'd been in only a moment before. The jade orbs drifted to his hand, which now held only shards of wood where the correcting rod had once been.

TSOTCTSOTC

She wouldn't have wanted to admit it, but Phoenix was glad that Aries had made her get out of the bed to each class. It taken her mind off of the awfulness of what was happening to her family. She was able to immerse herself in her students. She was much more hands on than Zoe, which some students appreciated, and some didn't. She had no issues walking among them, using her entire body to correct their postures. Someone whispered in relief, "At least she doesn't make us hold the pose as long," and she's actually chuckled. She'd have to let Zoe know that after class.

No, she wouldn't. Zoe was gone.

As the yoga class ended, and another ninjutsu class began, her phone rang, with Donnie's ringtone. She answered, her heart in her throat, and noticed that Splinter had frozen in her tracks, staring at her.

"Hello?" she still answered the phone with a question, despite knowing who it was. It drove all of the kids crazy, but she still couldn't get in the habit of just spouting out, 'Yo, Donnie, whazzup?'

"Mom?" he asked, his voice almost plaintive.

She had trouble breathing in, and when she did, she smelled Splinter, grapes and musk, the smell of rat, by her side. _He never calls me mom,_ of all of them, he was still the most likely to call her Phoenix. "Yes?" she managed to get out.

"I've got your medicine ready," he replied.

She and Splinter looked at each other, their eyes locked for a long moment, as her shoulders sagged and his ears dropped completely.

"Mom?" he asked again. "Are you there?"

"Yes, Donnie," she replied, bending down to pick up her yoga mat. "I'm here."

"You wanna come by and get it?" he asked. His voice sounded like a little boy, and guilt began to gnaw at Phoenix's nape.

"Yes, _me petit einstein_ ," she said, realizing that she hadn't called him that in a very long time.


	58. Chapter 57

Battle admired the weapon in his hands, rotating it to view it from all directions. Found on the little turtle who had been delivered to the lab, it had been given to him along with a box filled with the rest of the boy's accoutrements. He had quite a few, for such a little fellow. The slingshot was only one among many of the items in it. But as Battle began to turn the item over, examining the workmanship, the wheels in his head began to turn. It was beautifully carved, he couldn't deny that. In fact, he'd seen few things as well done as it, only those by accomplished artisans at that. The wings of a fiery bird were spread wide, and attached to the end of them was the sling, made out of a piece of cloth for the cradle and two rubber bands on the sides. The head was nestled in between, lower than the cradle when the sling was extended. The body tapered downward into a handle, the feet of the bird curled together to a point, making a crude, wooden knife. The carving on the piece was intricate, the wood stained in different hues of yellow, orange, and red to give the slingshot the impression of a fire bird. It must have cost a fortune to have it made. He wondered why the owner would have paid so much for a such a lovely handle, only to use such slipshod materials for the actual sling. 

Then the idea emerged through the fertile soil of his brain, so that at first, he disregarded it. But, looking at the slingshot, considering where it had come from, he reminded himself he had be wrong on this front before. Too many times before to make him comfortable. 

He stood up, walking to the cell block that held the mutants who had not yet been moved to be weaponized. There were two there who seemed to be not only be very popular, but very knowledgeable about the mutant community at large. It took him almost a half an hour to walk from his office to the block, everyone nodding and moving to make room for him as he clipped his loafers the tiled floor. Two guards accompanied him once he entered the detention center proper, but when he came to cell block, he held out his hand. "I don't need you, just the controller, please." The guard handed over a small device with no argument. 

Battle stopped at a cell that held a large, almost teal-colored turtle with spikes jutting out of his shell. Across from him, to Battle's back, was a crocodile, a huge thing, that had already killed more than a dozen guards and wouldn't say a word about anything, not matter what anyone did to him. Once that thing was purged, he would be unstoppable. Battle had already put in a request that he part of his own personal squad, and he was quite sure that his request would be granted. After all, there were few higher up the echelon than he. 

Facing the turtle, he held the slingshot. "Tell me about the owner of this weapon." 

The turtle turned, his face in a black mask, his beak in a scowl. "Where'd you get that?" he asked in a gravelly voice. 

"I ask the questions," Battle said. "Tell me about the owner of this weapon." 

"Tell him, nothing, friend," the crocodile behind him said, his voice deceptively gentle. 

Battle held up the device and pressed the button on the middle. 

The crocodile behind him screamed, and he did not have to turn to know that he large reptile was writhing on the floor from the shock given to him by the reverse-engineered Kraang issue collar. "Every time you do not answer my question, your friend will be hurt," Battle explained to the turtle. "Slash, they call you?" 

The turtle turned fully to face the older man, his eyes squinting in anger. "Yeah," he growled. 

"Tell me," Battle held up the slingshot once more, "about the owner of his weapon." 

"If you've got the weapon," Slash replied, "I'm guessin' you already know about the owner." 

Battle pressed the button again. Again, the crocodile behind him screamed. The hallway shook with what Battle assumed was the creature thrashing against one of the walls. 

"Whatd'ya wanna know?" Slash's voice was tight, his face filled with concern for the mutant across from him. 

Battle had learned early on that using the two of them in this way garnered the best results from either. "Who is the owner?" 

"The Phoenix," Slash said. 

"The one who goes about healing mutants?" he asked. 

"Yeah," Slash replied. 

"She's not a mutant, is she?" Battle's voice picked up in speed. 

Slash squinted at him once again, as if he were crazy. "Yeah," he replied slowly. "She is." 

"What kind?" Battle took a step toward the cell. 

"The normal kind," Slash growled. "Same as the rest of us." 

Battle held up the controller, his thumb poised over the button. 

"She's a mutant," Slash rushed. "What do you want me to say?" 

"I got this from Phoebe Hamato's grandson," he said. 

The giant turtle stood stock still, but a deep growl, akin to a cat, emanated from his chest. 

"I see we are finally getting somewhere," Battle smiled. "You know the boy, then, I take it. And his grandmother, I guess she introduced to the two of you." 

"Tell him nothing, brother!" the crocodile cried. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he was writhing on the floor once more. 

"I am not being unreasonable," Battle said, the smile gone. "This weapon belongs to Phoebe Hamato, yes?" 

Slash glanced to the cell behind the older businessman, his brow ridges drawn together in concern. "Yes," he whispered. 

"She is The Phoenix, yes?" 

"Yes." 

"The Phoenix is a Kraang Legacy mutant, isn't she?" Battle pressed. 

"Yes," Slash sounded utterly defeated. "She's the one who got us the information so we could defeat the Kraang in the first place." 

Battle almost dropped the slingshot. He recovered, the weapon flying end over end until he grabbed the sling to keep it from hitting the floor. He looked down the hall toward the exit, his breath coming in quick gaps. How could he have been so wrong about this woman? He was never this far off when it came to someone. Never. 

Without addressing either mutant, he walked back down the hallway, anger swelling in his gut. He didn't like to be wrong. He didn't like to be this wrong. And he didn't like to be this wrong for this long. Laying the slingshot on the first table he came to, holding up his phone, he took a photo, with a caption "Bet I could get a pretty penny for this on ebay-JJE" He brought up his contacts, Karai Hamato.

TSOTCTSOTC

He could hear water dripping all around them in the crumbling, concrete tunnel that he's finally stopped in. The lighting system had long since died, leaving only the hand crank lantern from his bag for illumination. In the dim light, he could see patches of rebar where the cement was broken away.

He was pretty sure he'd lost connection with the EDF sometime after taking the subway entrance underground. After travelling around at random, he'd finally stopped here, somewhere under the edge of the East River unless he had become disoriented, in part because it was abandoned and in part because he was nearly out of gas. They'd be on foot from here on out.

The EDF knew that he was in the warren of infrastructure under the city, but without knowing exactly where in such a large maze, it would take them a long time to conduct a systematic search. Especially if he kept them moving, as planned. All he had to do asleep off their radar.

They should be safe here for a while. The depth, separating him from the surface with barriers of water, metal and concrete, should block a signal that might be used to track him.

The woman stirred behind him and he some of his tension eased out into relief. He hadn't been certain she'd recover from that last nearly lethal shock. Best to finish up quickly so that he could tend to her. He'd repaired his arm first and was nearly done with his leg.

When she inevitably spoke, her voice sounded rough, like she'd been gargling gravel. "My daughter, where is she? Is she..."

As her voice trailed off, the dismal space around him fell away in the wake of another unbidden memory.

 _He hid near the edge of a cliff overlooking a military convey, armed with a rifle._

 _Denni was there. She'd just taken a shot._

 _That's right. A miss._

 _He was watching as events seemed to be moving in slow motion._

 _The target was retaliating. Denni wasn't reacting fast enough. She was going to die. She and the baby were going to die._

 _Before the realization had even finished, he was in motion, using himself to shield her._

 _For one brief instant, his entire existence was a flare of intense, bright pain. But it was gone as quick as it had come, leaving him with a last fading thought._

 _Let them be safe. Safe._

"Safe." As he returned to himself, gripping the side of his head again, he became aware of speaking.

That's right. Alli was safe. It was important that she was safe, though he couldn't remember why. The memory was already escaping him. Despite the pain, he still grasped for it, trying to pull it back to no avail. He couldn't do it himself. He needed her help.

"Safe?" She asked in hesitant confirmation.

He'd almost forgotten she'd asked the question. That was concerning.

Taking a deep breath, he elaborated as he completed the repairs on his leg. "Your people have her."

The woman exhaled in relief as she absorbed what he said.

Using the moment of silence, he sealed his skin over his work area on the knee and femur. There was a gaping hole in his pants from where he'd been working. It didn't matter. There was no one else down here to see and wonder why. He tested out the limb, determining it to be functional.

She looked around, examine the space around them for what seemed to be the first time. "Where?"

He answered curtly as he gathered the materials that he would need. "Away...from everyone."

Her forehead scrunched up as she considered that. "How long was I out?"

He approached, ignoring how she tensed and crouched at her side. "Seven hours and forty three minutes. Brace yourself. This will hurt."

Her eyes followed his hands to her broken arm and she appeared to understand, clenching her jaw in preparation.

If they were to continue to move, he needed to do this. It was a bad break and the sheared edges if vine could be doing internal damage with each movement. He could risk it breaking through and causing an infection. She was needed alive.

He carefully removed the cloth, dampened in the frigid water leaking into their sanctuary, from her elevated arm, pleased to see that the swelling had gone down. That would help.

She let out a strangled cry as he realigned her bones, bracing them with bars of metal that he'd removed from his leg and securing them in place with zip ties. He probably should have done this while she was unconscious, but she was so strong, that he had opted to repair himself before doing anything that might cause her to rouse and react.

Using half the mesh gauze that K2's spare flesh had been packaged in before he disposed of it, he lifted her torso to tightly wrap her cracked ribs as she wanted her way through the pain. It was necessary. If any of those cracks became a complete fracture it could risk puncturing something internal and he had neither the expertise nor equipment to deal with an injury of that severity.

The rest of the fabric went to securing her injured arm to her torso. Her breath came out in a relieved whoosh as he finished. Good. It should be safer to move her now when the time came to switch location.

As much as he wanted to immediately dive into questions about the memories she'd triggered and how he might get them back, her condition wasn't completely stable.

Tearing open a fresh MRE and its contents, he set it beside her good hand. "Eat before your body starts shutting down non vital systems." Then he pulled out his tools and began work on removing the now useless collar from her neck.

Denim leaned against the concrete wall, her stomach churning since he'd set her broken arm. All of her nerves were frayed from the electric jolts, compound that with the breath stealing agony of having her arm splinted, and she wasn't entirely sure that she wouldn't vomit, let alone manage to eat. Though she knew she should.

Not-Kyle reached toward the collar around her neck and she raised her good hand toward his chest to stop him. The second the fabric of his shirt made contact with his pectorals, warmth seeped into her fingertips. She didn't know how it was possible, but it _was_ him. Her heart picked up an erratic beat.

He stilled, his brow furrowing as she touched him. It confused her, to feel the familiar torso that she'd rested her head on countless times, while peering into the eyes of a stranger. Her eyes pricked, her fingers curling into her palm as she slowly withdrew her hand.

He was Kyle. But not. Was the real Kyle in there? He'd called her name, and at long last told her his mutant lover's. What did he remember?

She reached for the tube of peanut butter, half wondering if that was the only meal they'd given him. But she couldn't waste time on something so trivial. She needed to get home to Alli and Mikey.

Her insides fluttered. He'd said her people had Alli. Had Mikey found her? Had he been that close?

Her heart clenched as terrible possibilities presented themselves. If Mikey had found Alli, he could've found her. Then there would've been a fight between him and the cyborg.

The Kyle cyborg.

Her dead husband.

Alli's biological father.

A fight between not-Kyle and Michelangelo.

Her twin flame.

Father of her unborn baby.

Her boyfriend, and would be husband if the state of New York would get out of their way.

A non-fight would be more like it. She'd seen Mikey truly pissed only one other time, when Keith Lowry stole Alli, and she didn't fancy seeing him that way ever again... Bizarre membranes over his eyes, the set of his mouth grim, so dark. She shivered. The way he moved, even his voice wasn't the same.

Michelangelo would've killed this cyborg. This broken version of a man she once loved. And if he found them now, it wouldn't be any different. Unless she did something to change it. Which she had to, because if she knew anything at all, it was that Mikey wouldn't give up until he found her.

What kind of fucked up twilight zone had she landed in? She heaved a sigh and looked at not-Kyle. She had to get everything straightened out and get home.

So she'd begin with the problem holding her captive... And yet he was tending to her injuries and removing the cursed collar from her neck. Strange.

She squeezed peanut butter onto a saltine. "I'm going to need meds soon. You understand that, right?"

24\. "According to the manual, the medication is to be applied every twelve to twenty-four hours. There's still time before the next dose. With three left, they can be stretched out for a few days. I'll have a solution by then."

As she mulled that over, considering her next words, K76 frowned at her collar, his tools hovering above it. The tools would break before the collar did. He'd need to use something sturdier.

Setting the tools aside, he began peeling back the false flesh over his right hand to reveal the metal endoskeleton beneath. With the newly exposed metal, he braced the collar with his still-normal looking hand, while digging his robotic fingers into the locking mechanism. Kraang metal was strong and the collar gave first with a loud, screechy groan. Gripping the lock tightly, he tore it free from its base. Now the connectors were fully exposed. A few careful tugs pulled the links free and he was able to disengage the two ends of the collar.

He gently slipped if off of her neck, mindful of her involuntary cringes as the nodes pulled out of her skin. They had been placed to avoid her circulatory system, so the bleeding was minimal. He'd just need to be careful of infection.

Pulling the last emergency medical pack from his bag, he ripped it open and sorted through the contents, originally intended to deal with damage to his organic components. He'd need the alcohol swabs, disinfectant cream and bandages.

He tore open the swab and started dabbing at her neck, ready to jump back if she made any move to attack, though it seemed unwise in her current state. But normal human beings often behaved irrationally, so the precaution was necessary.

She'd eaten, a little anyway, and her wounds were nearly done tending. He was out of patience. Meeting her eyes as he cleaned her throat, he spoke. "Tell me everything you know about Sarah."

25 Denim snorted. "Wow. Even in your new life she's all you care about." She lifted her good hand to her heart. "I'm touched. I'm sure your biological daughter will be thrilled to learn her father handed her over to the enemy." She waved her hand flippantly. "But we shouldn't talk about her. By the way, since you didn't ask, Alli's amazing. She has an incredible father too, who apparently saved her from whatever doom you sent her off to. And I'm eager to get home to them both. So, sure, why not, let's get straight to the only person who's ever mattered. Sarah."

Denim stared at him expectantly, waiting for a reaction. When he didn't have one, instead seemed to be waiting for her to continue, she half wanted to throttle him.

"Okay then. I can see your daughter ranks about as high as I ever did in your list of priorities." She kept wanting to take digs at him, when it occurred to her, the creature she was talking to was incomplete. He didn't seem to know or understand who he was. "What do you remember of who you were? I mean, how much of Kyle is there in you, and what do you want from this conversation? What do you hope to get out of it? Do you want that life back? Do you want to be Kyle Sanders? Because I will help you if that's what you want."

He waited while she vented at him, but no more visions or memories came to him. Just a dull phantom throb in his skull at each mention of Alli. What was wrong? Her tirades had brought the others on. Why wasn't it working now?

He considered her questions. They were legitimate. Perhaps if she understood her purpose, she could fulfill it better. But what were the answers?

After some thought, he finally answered. "I…I'm not sure. You keep mentioning a man named Kyle, but I don't know who that is. Assuming you are correct and I was made from him, I'd be inclined to say that there isn't anything left. Except…there are memories, I think. I can't hold onto them. You cause them to return for a moment or two and then they're gone again." He struggled trying to put the situation understandably into words. "If they were his once, they're mine now and I want them. I need them. You need to bring them back. I'm not sure how you do it, but you are the catalyst. You have to make the memories come back."

Denim leaned back against the concrete wall, picking at the remainder of her MRE. "Kyle was my best friend since childhood. Later, he was my husband. You don't have memories of Alli because I was pregnant with her when he died. He saved her." Denim motioned to herself. "He saved us."

When he stared at her and she couldn't make out his expression or his thoughts, she continued. "Kyle and I were in the Mutant Liberation War together. Snipers."

Still nothing.

She tipped her head to the side, and squint her eyes a bit as she studied his features. His face was nothing like Kyle's. She sighed. "So EDF, huh? They _stole_ your body and made you into the thing you hated most." She snorted. "That figures. That's what Keith Lowry did to his son, the one our guys had me snipe because he was working for the opposition. What was the guy's name?" She bit into a cracker, knowing his name full well. That name had damn near ended her and Alli both. "Larry, or was it Lawrence… no Clarence, maybe?" She leaned toward him a bit. "He helped Kyle hide Sarah from everyone when people found out mutants existed, when the hate crimes began. But Larry's dad, Keith, he found out you two were hiding her _and_ where. He thought it was _his_ son that was in a relationship with a mutant. But it was Kyle."

TSOTCTSOTC

Arriving at Donnie and April's apartment as the sun was setting, April opened the door before she knocked, a slight headache pulsing at the edge of Phoenix's head. When the young woman opened the door, the older one realized her own headache was simply a ghost of the girls'. "Have you taken some aspirin for that?" she asked.

April laughed, "It's that bad, huh?"

Phoenix nodded, and was grateful she wasn't hear April's thoughts at the moment. She didn't want to know what they said.

April winced and moved aside. "Come on in."

Donnie was coming out of the back with a test tube rack. "I have fourteen doses of the pregnancy medicine," he said, putting it down gently on the table. "Now, you have to-"

"Actually, Donnie, I have a favor to ask," she interrupted him.

He raised his brow ridges.

She took a deep breath, looking uncomfortable, pulled a business card out of her bag. "Can do you a search on this guy for me?"

Donnie took the card. "Henry Battle?"

She nodded, "Yes, please."

"Why?"

"He's the guy who I told you about, that has the pharmacy company and works with mutants."

He squinted his brown eyes. "Yeah?" he asked slowly.

She blushed, as if she were doing something wrong. "He wants us to come to his lab, and see his operation," she admitted.

"Us?" Donnie asked.

Phoenix nodded.

"How does he know about _us?"_ Donnie insisted.

April sighed.

Phoenix winced. "Because I was bragging about how smart you are," she said slowly. "And how you had a medicine that you thought would help and you didn't have all the fancy equipment of a lab..." her voice trailed off.

Donnie looked like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment. _Oh no,_ she thought. _I wasn't supposed to tell anyone._

"You were bragging about me?" Donnie asked, his voice cracking.

"Well," Phoenix said defensively, "This guy was talking about medicine for mutants and that he owned a pharmaceutical company, and all you have is your ingenuity..."

"...I do have equipment, Mom," Donnie muttered.

April laughed, holding her head.

"What's so funny?" Phoenix asked, offended.

She shook her head, "You two," the girl replied, before walking away.

"Anyway," Phoenix turned back to her son. "I don't know anything about this guy, except for what he said. I know that you can look him up on the Google-"

Donnie rolled his eyes, "It's not _the_ Google, Mom, it's just Google."

"I know you can find stuff out on him," she finished.

Donnie motioned her to follow him. "You'd be able to find stuff on him if you'd use the computer I gave you."

"I do use the computer you gave me," she answered.

He gave her a sidelong glance. "For more than writing poetry and keeping herbal remedies on."

"It's very handy for that," she muttered.

"It also has access to the internet," he muttered back.

He arrived at his computer, sitting down, and typing quickly. Looking over his shoulder, her eyes darted across the screen, but obviously not at the speed his did, as he clicked the mouse button too fast to see what exactly as going on. But then, he stopped, a screen which look very much like a profile for a fictional character popping up, with a photo of Henry Battle in the corner.

"That's him," she asserted.

Donnie began to summarize the document. "He's former EDF, retired with commendations. He led at least six relief efforts all around the world for natural and war disasters. He was brought back into active service when The Kraang invaded, and was given a commendation afterwards for helping to keep them out of the surrounding New York area. He owns a pharmaceutical company along with several other people, that make medicines for mutants." He turned to his mother. "Looks like he checks out."

Phoenix smiled. "I meet him for breakfast tomorrow," she said. "Can I tell him that we'll see his facility?"

Donnie nodded, closing the screen. "Sure," he replied. "I need something to do keep my mind off-" he stopped, his brow ridges drawing together.

Phoenix's eyes filled with tears, but she reached out a hand and put it on his shoulder. "Me, too," she admitted.

TSOTCTSOTC

265\. Donnie was still gaping in disbelief, even after his mother had gathered what she could easily carry from the first run of produced medicine and left. She'd been bragging? About him? It was hard to process and made him feel even more like a jerk over his recent behavior. He resolved to deliver a much-owed apology when they went to the meeting she'd arranged.

At first, he'd agreed out of habit when she'd asked, having been caught off guard and being generally accustomed to doing whatever his family needed of him. But the more he considered it the more compelling the opportunity appeared.

Normally he would be reluctant to do contract work, preferring to have full control of anything he produced, lest he regret creating it, but this was the pregnancy medication dominating the market, out of which he'd been completely blocked. He could improve their formula, he knew he could, and, with April's help, should be able to negotiate a means of making it economically accessible to the people who needed it. Between her abilities and sheer tenacity when she set her mind to something, there was very little his precious princess couldn't accomplish.

Best of all, if they'd been studying the issue long enough to market a treatment, they had to have a considerable amount of data. The kind he desperately needed if he was going to figure out where he'd gone wrong with Denim's treatment. And he'd be paid for that access which would solve his present financial conundrum. It solved so many problems simultaneously, that he couldn't help but wonder if it was a little too convenient. They never seemed to get that lucky.

A pinging sound from his computer recalled his attention to the here and now. His eyes widened in surprise as he opened the alert. He'd completely forgotten about the tracer program he'd sent to hunt down Karai's threatening message board poster.

Inconclusive? How? It did explain why the program had taken so long to run, given that it was set to retry a specified number of failed attempts, but he'd never come back empty handed before.

Frowning, he sat down in front of his computer to pour over the results. Whoever wrote the post did not want to be found and was damn good at covering their tracks. The data bounced around from server to server all across the country, seemingly at random, to through off anyone seeking the source, before inexplicably vanishing entirely. Too slick for the average internet troll, but there were some hateful savants out there.

Time to step up his game. He carefully snuck into a programming backdoor that he'd discovered years ago and has since gone to considerable lengths to defend from detection. If the NSA knew that he was borrowing access the consequences would be unpleasant to say the least.

His frown deepened, etching lines into his face. The source still eluded him, protected in a way disturbingly similar to the cyborg communications. And the wild goose chase the signal lead him on made it impossible to even narrow down the point of origin geographically.

On one level, it made sense. The EDF would be among the few organizations that the NSA wouldn't have the authority to oversee. Being an international taskforce that operated with impunity, the answered only to the heads of state for a handful of world powers in whose spheres of influence they had operations. And even with that, he doubted they gave any of their benefactor's full disclosure of what they were doing, especially with what he knew the American branch was up to. But why would such a powerful group be wasting time posting harassment for Karai and April's fledgling movement?

He widened his search, scouring the web for more communications matching the originals modus operandi. To his surprise, he found several. All being sent to Karai's phone. Why hadn't she said anything? This wasn't about politics. Or at least he didn't think it was. Thus was the EDF targeting their family in advance of the attack that had cost them so much. And she hadn't said a word to the best of his knowledge. Well it was time for her to spill now.

He stood up quickly enough to topple his computer chair and April glanced up at him.

"I need to see Karai."

Her eyes narrowed in comprehension, despite the lack of details he'd provided, and she nodded. "I'll let you know when the materials arrive. Then I need to have a few words with her as well."

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo sat at the desk in the office dojo, reviewing the files that Donnie had provided on all their students. It wasn't the first time she'd perused them and he still was finding any more potential sleeper agents.

Not that he was expecting to. But it was a good enough excuse not to go home. Karai had already left to get some food, returning to the apartment, a sure sign that things weren't right. She typically met up with someone for meals, more often than not, Zoe. Except that Zoe was...

He shut that thought down before it could reach completion. Avoidance. Not the healthiest coping mechanism, but it was getting him through. He avoided the apartment when he could justify doing so and always made sure to avoid at least one room in the apartment during his time there when he couldn't find an acceptable reason to be away. That way his subconscious could pretend that Yuuta wasn't gone, just somewhere out of sight.

Cowardice was what it was. Here he sat, pretending to keep busy while he waited for the rescue plan to come together, leaving Karai to face their empty home by herself. She deserved better.

Steeling himself, he forced his body to its feet and marched towards the door. They would face this together because they were family. And as a family there wasn't a crisis they couldn't overcome.

TSOTCTSOTC

Karai pushed open the door to the empty apartment, feeling edgy. It took her a few moments to pin point the cause. She couldn't remember the last time her parents' apartment had been empty. It seemed wrong somehow.

It had been a long time, since she'd felt so alone. Not since her youth, when she'd lived in isolation, even when crowded by the soldiers and various attendants of the Foot clan. The social distance between them had been too great even if anyone else's opinion had mattered besides the one whose attention was beyond her reach, no matter how she'd trained to make him proud, pushing to her limits and beyond.

It had been so hard to allow that kind of emotional dependency back into her life again, though she'd slowly let her true family back in, one small piece at a time. And she'd never felt alone and abandoned since. That ever present sense of comfort that she'd somehow ceased even being aware of, managed to make the hollow feeling of the empty apartment that much worse.

With a sigh, she started for the kitchen, until she caught sight of mother's bag, left on the floor beside the couch where she'd dumped it when they'd all come home in failure. It was still there, completely untouched.

Normally, mother was so fastidious when it came to taking care of her gear. The sight of it lying there neglected unnerved her.

Changing direction, she scooped up the bag and made for the kitchen table, emptying and sorting the contents before setting the bag aside to repair the hole in the bottom corner.

She frowned as she examined her handiwork. Where was mother's slingshot? She always took it with her in clinic and Karai knew for a fact that she hadn't had it on her this morning. She doubted mother had lost it, unless... Could one of the boys have taken it?

Her phone dinged with a message and a now familiar sense of dread filled her as she pulled it out of her pocket. Another message and file attachment from the number she'd grown to hate.

Her finger hovered over it, hesitating to swipe it open when she heard the apartment door opening out in the living room.

"I just need to talk to her, Leo."

She recognized Donatello's annoyed voice, but didn't have to think on it long as she could sense him behind her already. Not that it was far from the front door to the kitchen, but that seemed quick even for him. She held back a sigh. This couldn't be good, and he'd mentioned Leo, so either he was talking to him on the phone or-

"What is going on, Karai?"

Leo was with him. Fantastic.

She put her hand over the screen of her phone as she turned to face them. "Four of our family members are missing that's what's going on." She casually flipped the phone over as she took a step toward him. "How's that plan coming?"

"It's coming." Donatello frowned, his dark eyes searing into her as he crossed his arms. "But the plan is not what I'm here to talk to you about." His very Leo-like posture didn't bode well with her.

Leo stood right beside him, taking up the exact same position to let her know he didn't like where this was headed. She didn't know anymore than he did, and wasn't in the mood to find out. "Well I'm running late," she said, shifting her weight as if to leave. "I've got a meeting with the board at AFE headquarters. So unless I'm needed for a mission, I've got to go."

As she reached for her phone Donnie's hand came down over hers, snatching it away. "I'm here," his eyes narrowed as he swiped and tapped at the screen. He showed the phone to Leo. "I'm here about that."

Leo's eyes widened. "What is this?"

She reached for her phone but Leo's fingers closed around it. His blue eyes locked with hers. "What is this, Karai?"

Sharp eyebrows lifted as she scowled at him. "Well it's a phone. My phone to be exact. Now can I have it back?"

"Don't play coy. I know you've been being harassed and not telling anyone." Donatello pointed a finger at her but when her gaze shifted to the tip of his index it curled toward his palm and he lowered it.

"Harassed by whom and why? Why wouldn't you tell anyone?" Leo's eyes darted from the phone to Karai to Donnie then back to the phone. "And what kind of harassment is it when someone sends you a picture of mother's slingshot?" His voice rose octaves as his confusion and anger built. He thrust the phone in Karai's face. "Tell me what is going on! And tell me they don't have our mother on top of everything else!"

Karai groaned as she brought her hand to her face, turning her back to both Leo's outstretched hand and her phone. She plopped down at a chair at the table fixing her gaze on the various jars. "The boys must've taken mother's slingshot. I just noticed it was missing when I emptied her bag to stitch up the hole."

"They don't have mom. I just sent her off with meds for mutant pregnancy patients." Donnie leaned forward a bit so the bite in his voice stung her ears. "No. Tell him who's doing this, Karai."

She rubbed her temples. "It's nothing. The threats, they're just video messages, warnings, and pictures. I- I-"

"Nothing?" Leo scoffed. "Nothing? _Oh_ , it looks like _something_! Something you should've told us!" Leo snapped. "Do you know who's doing this?"

She pressed her lips together and looked toward the kitchen sink. There in the cabinet just above it she could see Yuuta's child sized cups and plates through the glass panes, all of the kids used them when they came to visit. Only they'd almost lost all three of the kids in their family, and two were still missing. Would they be if she'd said something? Would it have changed anything?

When she didn't answer right away, the air in the room became static, so that if she moved she thought it might shock her. But she wasn't afraid of that. She wasn't afraid of anything. Guilty. Now that was something she might be, though she'd be hard pressed to admit it.

"It's the EDF," Donnie said, tension radiating from him and Leo both, seeping into her back and settling in her chest.

She wasn't sure. She was still trying to figure out how the EDF and AFH were linked. It just didn't make sense. "You don't know that. I thought it was Americans for Humanity. Why would the EDF care about Americans for Everyone? Mine and April's organization has nothing to do with Earth security." Keeping her back to them, she shook her head. She was in no hurry to hear Leo's lecture, and she sure as hell didn't need one from the both of them. She needed to end this conversation. Quickly.

But Leo was suddenly silent. When he didn't launch into a directive or tirade, or even continue to question her she twisted around in her chair to steal a glance at him. He was staring right at her, his eyes distant, his all too familiar frown of disapproval plastered on the set of his lips.

"Well yell at her, Leo!" Donnie threw his hands up. "Say something! Do something!" he beseeched his brother to act, but Leo remained still. So Donnie went on. "From what I've found this has been going on from day one!" He grabbed the phone up and began flipping through the various messages. "This one is Denim getting attacked the first time by that mutant!" His brown eyes flashed. "You have footage of _that_ and didn't say _anything_? How do you not say _anything_ , Karai? Nothing! And here- here is the fight at the school! There are pictures of every member of our family in here- and Gods more video's of other attacks! Whoever this is, they're stalking all of us! AND YOU SAY NOTHING?"

Donatello began to shake, his voice quavering as he continued. "And now we've lost the kids, and Zoe's gone, and Denim's gone. Our brother's very sick, pregnant, mate is gone! The children in our family are gone! And you SAY NOTHING? When were you going to say something, Karai? When? Huh? When whoever this is started sending you pictures of their bodies?" Air was rushing in and out of Donatello's mouth so fast a little whistle accompanied them.

Leo sucked in a breath, his body beginning to tremble were he stood.

Her voice came out softer than she'd intended, guilt so thick she heard it herself. "I thought I could handle it. I thought I had it under control and I'd figure it out on my own. All of those came after the fact, the acts were already done. There's nothing we could've done to stop them."

Donnie's teeth ground as he leaned forward, as close to threatening her as he'd ever been and by far the angriest... He might even be furious. "We would have known something was going on. I would've put this on the front before anything else. We would find a way, we would take precautions. No secrets, Karai. It's been how long and you still haven't changed?" He snorted in disgust then reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone, placed it on the table and waved hers at her. "I'm taking this with me."

His eyes shot to Leo. When he said nothing Donnie shook his head. "I've got work to do."

Seconds later the door closed behind him and Karai sat staring at Leo.

"Say something," she said softly.

He took several audible inhales and exhales as if willing his body to stop shaking. "I can't be here right now. I need- I need to think."

Something akin to panic rose in her chest as he turned his shell towards her. They'd fight, often, about stupid things. They'd fight about important things. But when they fought, be it with swords or words, they worked through whatever it was. The air was pulled taut between them, like a line was fraying one tiny thread at a time and as the door closed behind him she wondered if it hadn't just snapped.


	59. Chapter 58

Clarence. Larry. K76 had been disappointed in the lack of effect her explanation until the name triggered something new. The sensation of failing out of reality was starting to become familiar. He knew she was still speaking, but was losing track as his awareness of the present drifted out of reach.

 _It was late, almost evening, and he was alone. All that remained of the sun was a reddish glow only donating the edge of the horizon. Despite the hour, it was still hot, making his ratty, old tank top and mesh shorts cling to his sweaty skin. He didn't mind the sensation of it or of his sore muscles as he went through his cool down. It was a good kind of tired._

 _Denni had a meeting with her social worker to ensure that she was in a healthy environment, which left him to his own devices. He didn't see the point. She'd been a part of their family for a while now and things were great, but voicing that opinion the last time her case worker had spoken to him hadn't gone over so well. He had the impression that something had gone wrong in the past, making the system extra cautious now, but there was no use in prying for details. Not even with Denni, who normally shared everything with him. Going anywhere near the topic clammed her right up. How could he help if no one would tell him what the problem was?_

 _With his mom working late and no idea when Denni would be free, he'd opted not to go home alone, deciding instead on running laps at their high school field. With so many away competitions kicking off the sports season, he had the place to himself, a rare blessing that allowed him to zone out and think while he burned off the excess energy._

 _Grabbing the towel off the fence where he'd hung it, he was part way through dying off when his instincts warned him that he was no longer alone. He carefully replaced the towel and focused on his surroundings, until he heard it again, the scuffing of sneakers on pavement, coming from the other side of the equipment shed._

 _Moving silently, he crept around the side of the garishly painted, cinder block building, waiting at the corner for whoever was creeping around the school to get close enough. Then he pounced, turning the corner and slamming the snoop into the wall._

 _For a second, his gaze locked onto a set of familiar eyes, wide and startled, but, before he could process what he was seeing, he was blindsided by something solid and...furry?_

 _Someone spoke as he fell sprawling to the ground. "No! Hide."_

 _He rolled back around, regaining his feet and turning back in time to see the silhouette of someone diving for cover behind a dumpster._

 _"Kyle?"_

 _At the sound of his name, he looked to see the classmate he'd inadvertently assaulted a few minutes ago. Recognition clicked into place. "Clarence?"_

 _Clarence Abbott. He was sure of it. He'd never spoken to the kid, but it would have been hard not to know him. Their dads had served together, though his dad has always seemed wary and distrustful of Clarence's. His father had never said a word against Sergeant Keith Lowry, he never would against a fellow ranger, but the way he looked at the man and tensed in his presence had communicated his distaste all the same._

 _The last time he'd seen either Sergeant Lowry or his son had been at his dad's funeral after the aneurysm had unexpectedly taken his father from him. Even though all available brothers-in-arms had attended, he kind of wished Lowry hadn't. He didn't say or do anything inappropriate, but Kyle would swear that it felt like the smug bastard had been gloating. Clarence had come with his father, a wan wallflower, following in the man's wake like a ghost._

 _He sure seemed alive now. Almost intense even._

 _"Kyle, I need your help, but you can't tell anyone. No one. I need you to swear it. On your dad's honor."_

 _He hesitated. That was a vow he wouldn't take lightly and he wasn't inclined to keep secrets from Denni._

 _"Swear it! Please."_

 _The hint of desperation in Clarence's tone decided him. Whatever was troubling his classmate was serious and he could not, in good conscience, walk away._

 _"I swear. Now, what is going on?"_

 _Clarence's brow furrowed. "He's hunting them. He catches them here and takes them to the cabin upstate to hunt them."_

 _He raised a brow, questioningly. "Who?"_

 _"My dad. I'm getting them out, but he's onto me. He's gonna find us."_

 _Kyle frowned. This better not be Clarence going all animal rights in a fit of teen rebellion, because, if it was, he might just punch the kid for freaking him out._

 _"He and his friends are trailing me. I can lead them off, but I need you to get her to safety and hide her. Please."_

 _Kyle nodded with a sigh. He'd already involved himself this much._

 _Clarence exhaled in relief as he sagged back against the wall. The he turned towards the dumpster. "It's okay, Sarah. You can come out. Kyle will help."_

 _He started at the answering female voice._

 _"How can you be sure he's trustworthy?"_

 _Did Clarence have some kind of accomplice in his animal liberation scheme?_

 _"His dad was a good man and he's enough like him that I believe he is too. It's your best shot."_

 _He watched curiously as the figure stepped out from behind the dumpster and into the dimly lit parking lot._

 _His jawed dropped and he nearly stopped breathing at the sight of her. An impossibly perfect blend of fox and girl, she was nearly the same height as him, lithe and covered in sleek red fur over which she wore khaki Capri pants and an over large t-shirt with a cartoon bunny on the front. She was so alien, but exotic and beautiful nonetheless._

 _Her golden eyes locked onto his. "You'd better not be lying. I'm far from helpless."_

 _He couldn't help grinning. "I'll bet."_

 _They all froze at the sound of a car pulling up._

 _Clarence turned to him. "I'll distract them, but you have to go now."_

 _He nodded and turned to Sarah. "Come on. I know just the place to lie low."_

 _Reluctant, she followed him as he took off across the field. He'd earn that trust eventually, but for now, he had to keep her safe._

 _The scene melted away, changing to a shabby apartment kitchen, where is friend sat, older and gaunt, clutching a now cold cup of coffee._

 _He passed the room, lit by a single bare bulb, his muscles coiled with pent-up, unspent energy. Finally, he turned back to the pale figure staring disconsolately at the mug in front if him._

 _"Larry, look at me and tell me you aren't serious. You can't be."_

 _Larry turned his haunted gaze from the coffee to him. "You don't know what he's like. Not living with him. I can't say no. I just can't."_

 _Kyle's hands balled into fists. "You know what he's done. What he does. And you're just going to fall in in line at his beck and call?"_

 _The lines etched deeper into Larry's face as he grimaced. "No. I'll never be like him. I just...you don't know what it's like standing up to him. Maybe I can do something from the inside. Pass information. Spy."_

 _He looked so endearingly hopeful that Kyle almost caved. But some things were unforgivable._

 _"Do what you want." Scowling in disgust he turned and stomped out if the apartment, ignoring the sound of Larry calling out after him._

The vision began to dissolve and K76 grasped desperately at it, feeling the memory already slipping from his mind. Maybe he could verbally cement it into place.

"Larry...my friend...saved them...saved Sarah...broken..."

It wasn't working. He couldn't remember. It was gone. Growling in frustration, he clutched his head as though doing so could somehow retrieve what he lost. Useless. It was gone. Again. How could he be whole if he couldn't hang on to the lost pieces of himself, even if they did originally belong to another person? It wasn't fair. Somehow, he had to find a way.

Denim watched the fractured, twisted version of not-Kyle writhe as he struggled to remember her-Kyle's life. She grimaced at his growing desperation. All he was getting were bits, and he couldn't retain them. He might never be able to keep them. Her heart ached beneath her fractured ribs and she wanted desperately to console him. But as she lifted her fingers her gut told her there was nothing she could do. For all the biological matter they'd stolen, the man in front of her wasn't Kyle anymore.

She had to get him to take her home. She had to get him to let her contact Mikey, to let him know she was alive. Her arm throbbed and her blood began to jitter as if it were alive beneath her skin. Whatever meds he'd given her weren't holding up any longer than Donnie's.

Without letting on about her growing ailments she looked at her captor, a shattered puppet the EDF had pieced together out of her beloved husband. Kyle deserved better. How could she make this right for him, help him, _and_ get home to Mikey and Alli?

"It could take time, to remember." She tried to be sure she didn't sound patronizing, she wasn't sure of what he'd do if she pissed him off. Taking a breath she continued, "My family helps people. We could help you, start over, find a place. We could get you away from the EDF. You could have a life again. Maybe get to know Alli and Mikey."

She smiled as Michelangelo's endearing grin filled her conscience. She missed him. Even with the man before her in some form of her dearest friend, she wanted to be where her heart was. With Mikey. "It might seem strange, since I'm not entirely sure if you and I are considered married or not, but once I explain everything and he gets to know you, you could actually be friends." She wasn't sure what possessed her except that talking about him made her miss Michelangelo more- miss him, Alli and her home more. "Let me contact him, tell him I'm alive. He can help. Please."

K76 hesitated. Could she be right? Would following the suggestion allow him to collect and reassemble the scattered pieces of himself? It was tempting, but as he ran the probabilities in his head it seemed more likely that he would end up destroyed or reprogrammed, depending on whoever caught up to them first after he left the safety beneath the city. And one of his last communications with his handler indicated that the agent sent after Alli had been eliminated, most likely by this Mikey. Another spike of pain seared into his cranium as he thought on the little girl and, though he couldn't say why, he found that he preferred it that her pursuer was dead and she wasn't. Still, it implied that her lover might not be as forgiving as she perceived him to be. The risk was too great.

He shook his head. "Too dangerous."

"No, wait. Please. You don't understand. I need to talk to him. Once I explain-"

Blocking out her protests, he immediately began packing up his gear. Her words were cut off with a hiss of pain as he lifted her after throwing the duffle bag over his shoulder. "We've been here too long already. We need to keep moving to avoid being discovered."

"But…"

"I can't give you back until I get what I need. Time to move."

TSOTCTSOTC

Yuuta thought he knew what being lonely felt like. When his mother took him to the park to play, and Anton was not with them, he always had to play alone. It was not often at all that the human children let him join them, and when they did, it only lasted the day, because he never saw them again. Not being able to talk didn't help matters, because when a child did ask him something, he was unable to answer without his mother 'translating' for him. Anton, on the other hand, would chatter away, answer for him, and the two of them would run with whomever had invited them. If they were invited in the first place. But alone, the encounters never lasted long, if they happened at all.

He thought that was what lonely was.

Sometimes, when he was at the park, Raph's best friend, Casey Jones, would come and sit with them. He wore a t-shirt with a skull on it, and black jeans. He wore his hair long, and Yuuta knew if he went to work that day by how combed it was. If it was a workday, he had it slicked back, sometimes in a pony tail. If he was off, then it was loose, and he would run his fingers through it when he was nervous.

"You can always get him speech therapy," Casey Jones told his mother. "He doesn't qualify, but you would, if you'd put yourself back in the system."

"I don't want to put myself back in the system, Casey," she said. "And I don't think speech therapy would help."

"You don't know if you don't try, Little Mama," he said, putting his arm around her.

Whenever he did that, Yuuta came up and crawled in her lap. "You forget who you're talking to, Casey," she reminded him.

He laughed, "Yeah." He nodded, leaning back and making her lean back with him. She smiled at him. "You're right. Us lesser humans tend to forget that."

She made a huffing nose and hit him in the chest playfully.

The little pup knew that Casey Jones liked his Mama. He put his arm around her a lot when they were alone at the park. He never did it when anyone else was around. Yuuta didn't like it. It made him feel like he should stick to his Mama, and not let her out of his sight.

He suspected that it was times like that, that his father was talking about when he had instructed Yuuta "...to always watch out for your mother. You know how she attracts trouble." Yuuta didn't see her get in a lot of trouble, except with police officers when she went out. He'd had to run away and leave her on several occasions and institute their 'police plan', when the cops came and took her away.

He thought that was what lonely felt like.

When he was staying the night with Anton, Casey Jones was often there. Yuuta had answered Raph with what his mother would have called a "sassy squeak."

"I know you don't speak to Little Mama like that," Casey told him, pointing at him with his beer bottle. "She'd kick your little ass."

"She kicked your little ass," Raph shoved him.

"Yeah, and yours too!" He motioned to Yuuta once more. "His little pink butt doesn't stand a chance."

"G'mere kicked both your asses?" Anton said.

Raph's eyes went wide, and looked toward the kitchen, to see if Zoe heard. She hadn't, or she would have come in and told them not to swear. He didn't think Zoe really cared if they swore or not, but Mama did. "She had Medusa's help," Raph said. "But yeah, she can kick ass."

Then, Raph and Casey told them a story about how Mama had kicked their asses. Yuuta didn't believe them, though. The way they described it, she could fight like they did, or like father did. He knew she couldn't. She didn't even spar with him or his brothers and sisters. And father said you had to practice. If she didn't practice, then she couldn't do what Raph and Casey said she could.

It made him angry that they were lying about her, even if they were doing it in a good way. Mama didn't like lying at all. Neither did father. And if he and Anton told stories like that, they'd be in big trouble. But he was the only one who didn't believe them, because Anton ate it up, and Zoe said it was true.

He thought maybe lonely felt like that.

When Anton had gone to school that first day, he had cried in his mother's arms. "Oh Squeaky Toy," she said, holding him tight. "I know what school was like. You won't like school." But he did not believe her. School would be filled with different people, with children, who played. He could show them what he could do, that he could read, that he could write, that could solve puzzles, that he could find anything. He was very good at finding things. He'd been angry at his mother that day, and sad, he missed Anton tremendously. He missed Alli, even though she sometimes hit him or bit him. He knew that she was just excitable. Some animals were more excitable than others, and humans were some of those animals.

He thought that was what lonely was.

But he was wrong.

Being in that cage, with a blanket draped over it so that he was in darkness in the tiny space, that was when he realized he was wrong. Once the truck stopped, they separated Anton and his cages, draped blankets over them, and then carried them off. The swaying of the cage made him loose balance, so that sometimes he fell on the mesh floor. Once, one of his long toes got caught in the meshing, and he squeaked for some help, but whomever was carrying him didn't stop. Then, the cage was put down, and he was in total quiet.

He squeaked, "Is anyone out there?"

No one answered.

He began to cry, and he suspected he cried for a long time. He had never been alone before, by himself, with one else. In fact, he wasn't entirely sure it was possible. After all, the world was filled with people. How could you get away from them? But he was all alone now, in a cage, in the dark, with no one to answer him. He laid down on the mesh and cried himself to sleep, knowing, for the first time, what it felt like to be lonely.

He woke up to being carried again, then a sharp pain in stomach told him he was hungry. He squeaked, but again, no one answered. However, when the cage was put down, the blanket was taken off and the door opened. He ran out of it, ready to make a dash for whatever exit he could. But a man grabbed him by the scruff. He kicked and bit until the man dropped him. Then, he did what his father had taught him to do when he was in very, deep trouble. He threw a kick at the man's abdomen, then when his head was lowered, he pressed the pressure point at his neck that stopped his breathing. He turned, to do the third thing in the drill, run like hell. But he found himself in a glass enclosure, with no place to run.

Several men rushed into the enclosure then, one of them with a long pole. Yuuta jumped over one who tried to grab him, clawing at his neck and bending to press a pressure point that left his arm useless. He used the man's shoulders as a leaping point to get closer to the door, sending the man sprawling. The man with the pole swung it at him, and he avoided it easily. Another man grabbed at him, he kicked his arm before he could, bit down on his other one until he tasted blood.

Then pain wracked through his entire, little body. He smelled something similar to Karai's curling iron when she left it on. Then, the world went black.

When Yuuta woke up, he'd been stripped of everything except his shirt and pants. He checked to see if his underwear was still on, and thankfully it was. His brother Aries made his underpants just for him. He even took his measurements and everything. "Not handing these down to anyone, Squeaker," the ram told him. "Not unless we get another baby brother. And between you and me," he'd bend down so his fuzzy nose was in Yuuta's ear, "I think you're the last one." Yuuta didn't mind that. He didn't want to hand his underpants down to anyone.

The room, he noticed, had a glass front wall and behind that bars, was warm. Too warm, like when he spent too much time under the covers cuddled with his Mama. The thought of his mother sent a wave of loneliness flowing through him, so that tears came to his eyes.

 _No,_ he told himself. _You have to be in excess of your surroundings. When you don't know where you are, you stop and take a breath._ The little rat pup breathed in and out. _Then be in excess of your surroundings._ He looked about, assessing where he was.

It was a small room, with concrete walls and a door in the back. It had a toilet in the corner, fully open to the front where everyone could see if he needed to use the bathroom or not. There was a blanket and a pillow on a concrete slab coming out of the wall. On the opposite wall, a walking wheel, like the kind his father had in the Lair when he was very little. Again, the thought of the Lair made his chest constrict.

 _Be in. Excess. Of your. Surroundings._

But there was nothing else to assess, except the man in a business suit walking up to the glass.

Yuuta walked up to the glass. He could see his own reflection _,_ his brown fur was standing on end, and some of it looked like it had been burned. His jade eyes were bloodshot, and his nose seemed to be wiggling without his permission. He watched himself disappear as the glass was lowered, a rush of cold air entering the small room. He shivered.

The business man looked down at him, a small smile on his face. Yuuta noticed that his eyes were almost the same color as his father's. Almost.

"You," said the man, in a deep, smooth voice, "are a very special little creature."

Yuuta hissed.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, taking a granola bar out of his pocket.

His stomach twisted and his mouth began to water. He tried not to, but his head nodded.

The man tossed him the bar, and the pup caught it expertly, tearing in it. It was gone in a heartbeat, but Yuuta's stomach didn't seem anywhere near full. _Where's Antonello?_ Yuuta put his hands up in the universal "What" sign and then signed Anton's name as Casey Jones had taught him; his fingers in the 'a' position with his arm up to show his bicep.

The man sneered. "Can you talk?"

Yuuta shook his head, and asked again. _Where's Antonello?_

The man looked down the hall, "Get me a sign language interpreter." The man simply stared at him until a woman appeared by his side. "Would you mind repeating that?" he asked the pup.

Yuuta signed very slowly, _Where is Antonello?_

"Who is _Antonello?_ " the woman signed his name.

Yuuta bared his teeth, and spelled the name out with his hands. A.N.T.O.N.

"Anton?" the man repeated. "The turtle that came in with you?"

Yuuta nodded.

"He's in a place like this," the man gestured to Yuuta's little room. "He would not tell me his name. Thank you for letting me know it."

Yuuta was sure that man was not in the least bit thankful.

"And what is your name?" The man's voice was calm, conversational.

 _Yuuta_ , he replied.

"A Japanese name, I expect," the man replied.

He nodded.

"As I said, you and Anton are very special creatures."

The rat pup bared his teeth again.

The business man laughed. "There is only one other creature that would be more special, but April O'Neil hasn't one yet."

The hair on Yuuta's back raised and he felt his nostrils flare.

"I don't know if that's because she can't or she simply hasn't yet." He squatted down so he was eye level with the rat pup. "Do you know?"

Yuuta growled.

The business man laughed, standing back up. "I have some special things planned for you and your little nephew," he said. Then, his face took on a mean smile, showing his white teeth. "And your mother."

The rat pup gasped.

"She's coming to my work place to help me," he continued. "And if you don't want anything...bad...to happen to her, you'll do whatever the people here ask you to." The smile faded from his face. "Do you understand, Yuuta?"

His green eyes stared at the man for a long time, and the cold air didn't seem to want to go into his lungs. His father had told him that he was supposed to take care of his mother. She might have mother-magic, but she could not take care of herself. The rat pup's eyes filled with tears, and he nodded.

TSOTCTSOTC

April marched towards the café where establishment that they'd discovered shortly after moving into the area, nothing fancy or franchised. But their wares were impressively good and affordable, and the atmosphere some managed to be a peaceful oasis amidst the urban chaos.

She was not in a good mood. Her head was still pounding, although whether that was from the backlash of her disastrous attempt to locate the boys, the all-nighter she'd pulled with Donnie constructing the cable for Sappho or some combination of the two, she didn't know or care. She was on a mission to tear her sister-kunoichi a new one.

Or at least she'd been until she arrived. Karai sat at one of the outdoor tables, her comfort food, a plate of biscotti and a vanilla-cinnamon latte with a heart shaped swirl formed from the foam topping. Both sat untouched in front of her as she stared passed them, unseeing. From the dark circles under her eyes, April would have guessed that Karai had gotten less sleep than her, were it possible.

April pulled out the metal chair across from her, scraping it against the sidewalk and Karai startled. That alone presented a good indication of just how wrong things were.

The moment Karai laid eyes on her, her mouth formed a tight, grim line and she tensed, as though bracing herself for a barrage. She was expecting to hear what April had originally come to say.

"Where's Leo?" Despite her mental shields and lingering psychic pain, she'd been unable to avoid picking up a general sense of Karai's distress.

Karai's eyes widened in surprise before looking away. "I don't know. He hasn't been back since he left yesterday."

April felt a twist of unease at the admission. Of all the things Leo did when he was upset, bailing typically wasn't one of them. Especially with Karai. They could get into some pretty spectacular fights, no one made Leo lose his cool like Karai, but they didn't just walk away.

She sighed and ran her hands through her hair, dislodging several strands from the hastily gathered pony-tail she'd tugged it into before leaving the apartment today. "Why didn't you just tell someone."

Karai barked out a bitter laugh, still refusing to look at her. "Like you don't know."

She did know. It had driven her crazy when they were younger and, if she were being honest, still did though she'd come to better understand and accept it. Karai had come to them from a world where independence and self-reliance were the keys to survival, where success was expected and failure brutally punished. It had defined her childhood, molded her into the woman she would become and refused to release its stranglehold on her, no matter how long she'd been with her real family. She'd never really been able to overcome that part of her past and April suggestion she might never be free of it.

Karai's hands gripped the iron table hard enough to turn her knuckles white and April could detect a shimmer of scales flicker across the top layer of her skin. "I caused this. They're gone because of me."

April frowned. "If you want me to tell you that things wouldn't have gone down any differently if you'd told us what was going on, I can't. I don't know what difference that knowledge could have made. But you didn't start this."

Karai turned her golden eyes back to April, her face a mask of skepticism. "How can you know that?"

April managed a half-hearted smile, the best she could do under the circumstances. "It's just a feeling. That you're on the edge of this, not at its center."

Karai snorted. "You and your feelings."

April raised an eyebrow. "Have I been wrong yet?"

Karai didn't deign to respond, but April could see some of the tension slipping out of her posture.

"They've come at us from a lot of different angles, of which you represent just one avenue. Yes, you should have told us, but the blame isn't all yours to shoulder." Who'd of thought she'd end up coming here to give a pep talk.

Karai sighed. "Saying that doesn't solve any of our problems."

April shrugged. "Neither does wallowing in self-pity. You ready to stop worrying about what's already done and start focusing what we can do?"

She shook her head, but Karai's answer was in the fragile smirk that ghosted across her face.


	60. Chapter 59

Denim's arm and ribs were throbbing when he stopped the motorcycle. She'd been very still as he wove through the maze of underground tunnels, in pain and uncertain as to where he was taking her. Then she began to wonder if he knew himself. Her stomach rolled when he'd placed her in front of him then put his arms on either side of her. She'd wanted to close her eyes and will herself to be somewhere else. Home. Where she belonged, with Alli and Mikey. Not whipping around on an abandoned subway line below New York City with this strange broken version of not-Kyle's body touching hers.

She was tired and cold, yet she was beginning to sweat. He wasn't listening and she was running out of ideas as to how to help him. How was she going to get home? She didn't want to hurt him, which was confusing because he'd broken her arm and near electrocuted her and her baby to death. But he was confused and parts of him _were_ Kyle. She needed to help him. Somehow. What if his memories could be restored? April or Donnie, or Phoenix might be able to help him. If he could remember then they could get to know each other again, then maybe he could get to know Alli. She let out a shaky breath.

Alli could actually know Kyle.

Sure it would be complicated, but if anyone could handle it they could. Her heart dipped and rallied. All of them, together. Was it possible? She could have both of the men she loved in her life? Where they still married? That would have to be addressed. What if that second apartment is still available? He could live in the building and be close, for Alli.

Images of the four of them, plus whoever her little unborn person was, hopefully an adorable version of Mikey, drifted through her closed eyelids. They'd go on family outings together, take turns walking Alli to school, helping her with homework. Her husband would always be a different version of the man he once was, but alive. She could visit him, help him adjust. They could talk about their day, spill their problems… start target practicing together, like old times. Great pressure built in her chest before her eyes began to burn. He was alive and somehow she would save him.

He dismounted the bike then pulled her off and set her to her feet. Quickly, she pushed her hopes aside, yet held on to them for motivation. There was so much to gain that had never been possible before. But first things were first. She had to change his mind about coming home with her. But if he wouldn't agree, she needed to contact Mikey and at the very least let him know she was- She looked herself over. She was dirty, her torso wrapped over fractured ribs, her arm roughly splint and broken, and whatever meds he'd given her were already wearing off. She was a mess. This entire situation was not okay.

She looked around, hoping to see something that might help her gauge their location. He'd stopped at an abandoned substation... Her eyes roved the turnstiles, ticket booth, and… an actual train car? She took a few steps, lowering her good hand over her belly as her little passenger wiggled about. _What, did you like the bike ride?_ She was answered with a firm kick that hurt like she'd banged her hip. She grimaced, rubbing at the tender spot. Ali hadn't kicked like that near the end of her pregnancy, let alone so early on.

"Don't go far. Stay where I can see you." Not-Kyle barked as he carried his duffel toward the train car. "We can stay here, but not for long. We have to keep moving."

There was something familiar about the station. It was covered in dust and cobwebs, but not years worth… She made her way toward the side of the car. She'd never been there before, but it still… why did it feel as if she had? As she rounded the side the end came into view and there it was, below the American flag sticker beside the door, beneath the New York City Subway sticker, the Hamato family crest. This was the abandoned subway train his family had used during the Mutant Liberation War.

Mikey had told her there were various hideouts all over the city, in the event the lair was invaded or someone was injured they'd have a safe place to stay until they could regroup. Her heart began to race as she made her way back to the train door, stepping inside to inspect their find. The seats had all been removed, a couch on either side of the car in their place. On one end was a long narrow table and a medicine cabinet attached to the wall above it, a cot on the opposite side. She glanced toward the other end of the car. There was a mini-fridge with Mikey's name written in khanji on the front and what looked like a two person dining booth beside it. A lump rose to her throat as she sensed him, felt and knew he had been there, not anytime recently but he had been there. Her chest shuddered as she gasped for breath, blinking back tears.

 _Focus, Denim. Look around._ Maybe there's some kind of tracking device she could activate. But as she tried to school her face into one less emotional, Not-Kyle stood in the center of the train car scowling.

"What's wrong?" she asked, then gasped before he could answer.

There on the panel behind him was an exact replica of the emergency exit signage and button that surrounded subway train doors, only there was no door. Trying to seem casual, she glanced over her shoulder to check the door. "Is there something behind me?" There, just as it should be was the actual emergency button and signs. If someone didn't have an eye for details, they'd never notice. Now all she had to do was push the button without him seeing, then convince him to stay there long enough for them to be found.

TSOTCTSOTC

Burning food was a crime in Mikey's opinion. It meant the dining party wasn't going to drool over his culinary masterpiece, because for whatever reason it hadn't turned out. Now, he wasn't one to waste food, so it's not like it was going to be trashed. He would totes still eat it. The real issue was _why_ the food was scorching in a skillet in the first place.

"Come on, Alli-bird that's not- that's- hey! Wait- no- no- Alli- agh," he chased his giggling, sticky fingered, syrup bottle holding, toddler from the kitchen down the hall.

Catching her shouldn't be so hard, but he'd been trying to talk her down before she went rogue on him while he was cooking her favorite meal, dinner for breakfast. How had Denim ever done this by herself? It was as if Alli had _'Daddy's occupied I can do whatever I want_ ' radar.

There was syrup all over the kitchen table, where she'd poured it out and used it for finger paint while he was making pancakes. It was on the chair she'd stood on then jumped down from, and there was a trail down the hall so that his socks were sticking to the floor as he chased her. She was within arm's reach, but holding the bottle at such an angle he hadn't quite figured out how to get it away from her without hurting her.

Cradling the mouth of the glass close to her lips, with a smear of the golden brown liquid streaking her cheeks and hair, she took a swallow then made a face. "Ewww it's yucky!" Her little nose wrinkled as she stuck out her tongue and launched the bottle into the air.

"No! Alli, no!" He dove to catch it before it shattered on the hardwood floor. Airborne, he heard two sounds at once, a knock on the door, and the smoke detector. He landed on his plastron, caught the bottle and slid into Alli knocking her off her feet. He knew their floors weren't level when he'd been able to sock dance from one end to the other, shortly after they'd moved in. But as he picked up momentum, rushing toward his closed bedroom door, he was rethinking how cool it was. Alli landed on his neck, clinging to his carapace as they rushed headlong toward his room.

"Wheeeee!" She squealed with joy as the top of his head hit the door with a thud. The weak latch on the doorknob gave way, sending it swinging open and bouncing off the wall back toward them. In the last second he reached up, grasped the panel and stopped it short.

"Whew," he exhaled, then inhaled a lungful of smoke and began to cough.

Alli clambered to her feet, stepping on the back of his head, then his neck, before he felt the faint pressure of something on his shell. The smoke detector was screeching, and the scent of burning food assaulting his already overwhelmed senses. Then all at once the noise stopped.

"Allison, you will step down this instant."

His father's tone snapped him to attention, as Alli's laughter stopped and she did as her Sofu demanded. Mikey's heart sank. He could deal with exhaustion. If Alli needed him he would do what had to be done. End of that story. But whether or not he was doing it right, he didn't know. At the moment it didn't feel like it, and as he lifted his head to see his father and big brother standing at the other end of the hall, he was pretty sure it didn't look like it either.

He offered them a half-hearted smile, hoping his father wouldn't punish his daughter. She was fragile without her mom, going from laughing to crying in a breath. Sometimes he couldn't figure out which one it was, others he was pretty sure it was both at once. And aside from hugging her, none of the other tricks in his bag were working.

He heard Alli sniffle, his gaze shifting from his frowning family members to his syrup-covered little girl, giant teardrops clinging to her sweeping red lashes. Had his father scared her? As he lowered his hands to the floor they slipped in a puddle of syrup.

"I put the fire out," Leo said, his eyes assessing as he spoke. "It hadn't spread so there's no real damage."

Fire? His kitchen had been on fire? His half-smile wobbled but he did his best to maintain it. "Thanks, Leo." He managed to get himself upright and reached out for Alli. "You okay, Alli-bird?"

Her chest shuddered as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "Sofu' m-m-mad at m-m-me. I want my mommy."

He did too.

Alli buried her face in his neck, transferring syrup all over him as she wept. His heart clenched as he rubbed her back. "I miss her too. That's why I've got to go look for her again. Sofu's not mad at you for keeps. Right, Sensei?" He cast hopeful eyes toward his father.

"You are correct, my son." His father's ears drooped. "Perhaps Allison would benefit from a bath and a story."

"And I'll clean up." Leo motioned toward the kitchen.

Mikey scooped Alli up in one arm, pushing himself to his feet with the other. He'd expected to bathe Alli himself but his father made his way toward them.

"Allison, would you like me to tell you a story?"

His father's voice was laced with the same painful, worried rasp he'd found coming from his own throat after hours of crying. But his father didn't cry. Maybe he was getting a cold. But then mom would heal him. Maybe it just started. He knew what to do. "Can I get you some tea, Sensei?"

"No, thank you, my son. We will be fine." When his father reached out for Alli, Mikey did a double take to make sure the giant rat before him wasn't an imposter. Usually his father hid from all the chaos the kids stirred up. But as he looked on his father's sad brown eyes and drooping ears, his tail resting peacefully around his feet, Mikey knew the rat before him was every bit his father. Maybe being close to Alli made him feel closer to Yuuta and Anton. Mikey's heart clenched. After all they'd sacrificed themselves to save her.

Alli buried her face in the crook of Mikey's neck and mumbled, "But Sofu's mad at me, cas I was being bad."

Splinter kept his gaze on Alli while Mikey hoped she'd go to him. He and Leo had spent the past couple nights searching every dark alley and dive they knew of. Tonight they were starting on the parks and underpasses.

"If you know you're behavior was unacceptable," his father said to his little girl, "perhaps you will not make the same choices going forward. The incident is over. Come now, let's get you a bath and tell me which story you want to hear."

Alli peeked from the crook of Mikey's neck. "I want to hear the one about the baby turtles."

"A wise choice. One of my favorites," his father replied.

Mikey smiled, real and true, not forced or strained, for the first time since last Thursday.

As he transferred Alli to his father she began chattering to him. "It's the best one."

"Is it?" His father asked, carrying her toward the bathroom. "Why is that?"

"Cas they grow up to be heroes and save the city lots and lots of times. And sometimes they gots to save each other."

A lump formed in the back of Mikey's throat as the bathroom door clicked shut. There was definitely some saving that needed to happen. But was it him or Denim?

"Both," Leo's voice travelled down the hall.

Mikey listened as he followed the burnt smell. He'd thought Leo was talking to him, but it turned out he was on the phone.

"No. Donnie, I want both. I want two kinds of tracker on every member of this family. One they know about and one they don't." Leo placed the scorched skillet in the sink, squeezing dish soap all over it before picking up a scrub brush. "It's not a violation of privacy. Well it's worth it if it keeps them alive, and from disappearing, or being abducted, going rogue, or keeping secrets-"

Mikey reached in the broom closet for cleaner and a mop as Leo fell silent for a few seconds, startling him a breath later when he began yelling.

"What do you mean you won't do it? I am the leader of this family and- Donnie, just- No. I haven't gone home since. I don't want to talk about it. No. No, Raph's still not answering and his neighbor said no one has been home in days. If he doesn't want to be found we aren't going to find him, _which is another reason why we need back up tracking_! We'd be able to find everyone right now if we h-"

How could you put a tracker on someone and them not know about it? Mikey's eyes widened as he made his way down the hall with the mop. Would Donnie put something in their brains like the Kraang mind control devices? Well if that's what they came up with he was not going for it. He'd read far too many comics and seen what was written in them come to life more than once. Well, enough to reject the idea before it could add anymore crazy to their lives.

He let out a sigh as he worked backwards down the hall, wiping away the syrup. They'd all been through so much already, this wasn't fair. Just once the universe could let them have an easy go of something. Not this. Not his entire family crumbling right before his eyes, and him at a loss as to how to make it better.

Leo had refused to tell him what was going on between him and Karai, saying that he had enough to worry about and they should just focus on looking for Denim. Mikey had been hard pressed to argue. His past few days had been awful, with a note home from Alli's teacher saying she'd been acting up in class, Woody telling him he didn't know how long he could hold Denim's job open, and her other employer insisting he provide a copy of a missing persons report or her position would be terminated for abandonment. Then he'd gone to make dinner and realized he needed to go to the grocery, and the mail came with a brown electric bill threatening to cut off their power if the bill wasn't paid by… what day was today?

"Do you need some extra help, Mikey?" Leo appeared right behind him.

Mikey let out a nervous laugh, transferring the mop to one hand as he rubbed the back of his head with the other. "He-he-uh, how could you tell?"

Leo held up the electric bill and the note from Alli's teacher. "These were on the kitchen counter beneath this." He held up the missing persons report. "Since when do we file paperwork made public?" Leo frowned. "We're supposed to be trying to stay off the radar. This could lead to detectives coming around asking questions which will make it harder for us to do things our way. Why would you-"

"To save her jobs. So she has two to come back to. When we find her." A lump rose to Mikey's throat as he struggled to push away the terrible possibilities. It was getting harder and harder to ignore them with Alli reenacting her mother's torture with her toys, and the fact that he hadn't been able to drum up a single clue as to where that guy had taken her, then there were Alli's nightmares, and his own…

Leo's hand on his shoulder broke his train of thoughts, Mikey's chest shuddering as the world spiraled in on him. He smiled through teary eyes and his brother pulled him into a hug. "We'll find her, Mikey. We'll find all of them."

TSOTCTSOTC

Once the cage doors had closed Anton couldn't hear anything, it was as if he'd been placed inside a vacuum. He'd been able to feel the van moving. But it was dark and soundless and his heart had been pounding so hard he thought it might bust out his plastron. He'd huddled back into a corner and tried to stop his body from shaking, and thought he might pee himself he was so scared.

He closed his eyes and tried to remember what his mom had told him…

 _Anton bit into a slice of pizza, noting there were no vegetables on it. All meat. His favorite. His chewing slowed as he eyed the treat, his gaze slowly lifting toward his mom._

 _She was licking her lips then sucking the bottom one in her mouth the way she did when she had something not good on her mind. She was probably still upset about fighting with Aunt Medusa, and the whole family arguing over the thing Aunt Karai and April had started. He took another bite of his food as she pulled a Coke from the fridge and poured two glasses. Oh no. He swallowed. If one of those was for him, something was wrong. She never let him drink soda._

 _Sure enough she placed a glass in front of him and sat down across the table. As she dropped a slice on her plate she began to poke at it. She hated all meat. Yep, there went the toppings._

" _What's wrong, mom?" he asked through a full mouth, shoving a hunk of dough back into his cheek when it tried to slip out._

" _Don't talk with your mouth full," she said softly. She stared at her soda glass, tiny bubbles popping out above the rim._

 _Anton shoved another bite in his mouth. He had no problem waiting for her to spill, for two reasons. One he had his favorite meal in front of him, and two, as impatient as his mom could be, it wouldn't take lo-_

" _There's some stuff we need to talk about," she began. "It's not, it's not stuff your dad and me wanted you to even have to think about, definitely didn't want you to know about at least not until you were way older. But with Aunt April and Aunt Karai's new project, it really puts our family in the news. Which is not somewhere mommy belongs." She looked at him. "It's not where you belong either, Anton. If the bad people, the ones that made mommy, if they see me, or you, they will try to take us away from daddy and the rest of our family." She took a deep breath then drew her lip into her mouth again._

 _What was the big deal? How bad could these people be if they made his mom? She was awesome. She kicked serious butt, including his dads. Not often, but he'd seen her do it. Her eyes got kind of funny when she did it though and instead of getting mad like he would with his uncles, dad got real calm and talked to her like she was a hurt animal. He'd always thought that was weird._

 _Alli had asked him about his mom's scars once. But he'd never really thought about how she got them before. His dad and uncles had them, so why wouldn't his mom? It'd be cool when he finally had some of his own, though his mom always went on about how perfect his skin was. But if the place she came from was so bad, was that how she'd gotten them? How did dad and his uncles get theirs?_

" _Are you listening to me, Anton?" His mom tapped the table in front of him, her gray eyes shining like Uncle Leo's swords when he polished them. "If they ever take you, I want you to do whatever they say if it keeps them from hurting you, or someone you care about. But, if they hurt you, fight back with everything you have in you. As long as they aren't hurting you, do what they say and always be looking for a way out. Bide your time until one of us finds you, but if you get a chance to get away take it." His mom's voice got real tight like someone was choking her. She reached out and cupped his chin. "Just stay alive, Antonello. We will always come for you. I promise."_

It had been the weirdest talk he'd ever had with his mom. At least he thought it had been until he found himself being taken away. But he'd done what he had to, so Alli would be safe. She was little and didn't know how to fight. She'd never make it. But he was going to do exactly what his mom said.

Only the bad guys made it all the way back to wherever they were taking him, and his mom and dad hadn't stopped them yet. What if they couldn't find him? How long would it take? What were the bad guys going to do to him and Yuuta?

There was a flash of dim light as the van door slid back, but it was snuffed out as a blanket was thrown over his cage. He was carried a while then set on the floor. The blanket was removed then the cage door opened, sending a gust of moist heat rushing to his skin.

He stayed put, struggling to control his breathing the way Sofu taught him. He had to be in control of his body in order to keep it safe. His hands were shaking as he wrapped his arms around his legs, while looking through the open door. There was a giant hollowed out log to his right and a big rock to his left. The floor was covered in the thin green stuff that he'd seen on porches. Beyond the rock and the log was a glass wall, a man in a suit standing on the other side of it.

"Hello, there."

Anton's fears melted away at the glint in the man's eyes, his teeth setting on edge. His throat began to hurt as he tried to hold back a scream, but it bust loose like a shaken can of soda when it explodes. "I want to go home! You let us go and take us home, right now!"

The man chuckled and Anton's hands curled into fists. "What is your name?"

He wasn't tellin this guy nothin. He glared at him, the muscles in his arms beginning to tingle with anticipation. He'd punch the guy out and run for it. As soon as-

There was a whoosh sound, like a door opened, somewhere behind his box, where he couldn't see. Anton turned his shell toward the opening to the crate, reaching for his G'mere's slingshot and loading it.

"This is my assistant. He is here to take your things, and collect a few samples. If you don't want anything to happen to your mother, I'd suggest you cooperate."

Anton's grip loosened on the weapon, his head turning toward the man. "What?"

The stranger hummed a bit, as if tasting something really good. "Yes, your mother surrendered herself, not long after you surrendered yourself. It seems you both know where you belong."

"Grrrr, you lie!" Anton snarled. The split second a human face appeared in front of the cage he released the bullet casing into the man's eye. Blood splattered everywhere, all over the flailing guy's face and all over Anton. His eyes widened as he clambered from the box, desperate to get away from the mess. But as he leapt on top of the crate, his heart beating so hard he thought he might puke, the man stopped moving.

A slow clap echoed off the walls of his cell and Anton tore his gaze from the man whose eye was gone. The man who wasn't moving. He didn't want to think about him. He wanted him to be gone. Be gone. He clamped his eyes shut. Be gone. Be gone.

"Well aren't you just like your mother. Let's try this again, shall we?"

Anton looked to see what the man was doing, knowing he'd have to fight back if anyone tried to hurt him. Had that man been trying to hurt him? His dad's voice filled his head. _Don' think about him. See what the other guy is doin._ The man in the suit held a device in his hand, pushed a button and a cloud began to come down from the ceiling. The smoke filled his lungs and he began to cough, until everything went dark.


	61. Chapter 60

Phoenix walked slowly toward the coffee shop where she was scheduled to meet Battle for morning coffee. It had taken her all night, and part of the next day to deliver all of Donnie's medicine to the patients she knew of. When she had texted Splinter, telling him she wouldn't be home due to the half-life of the batch, he had only replied, "Alright."

She'd purposely texted him throughout the night, but received no reply. _He's probably meditating,_ she thought bitterly, fighting tears. _Heaven forbid he do anything else when he is upset._ More than once, his Shinto stoicism had irritated her.

Leo began texting her, asking flat out "Where are you?" She answered him each time with the closest address she could see. At least he was answering when she texted him back.

When she returned home, no one was there. The apartment was preternaturally quiet, and it occurred to her that she was rarely in it alone. _No,_ she corrected. _I've never been in it alone._ She'd daydreamed about it, especially on the days that Yuuta and/or Anton were having a bad day. Or Leo and Karai had been fighting for a while. Or when Splinter was in a bad mood. Especially when they were all happening at the same time, which had occurred more than once. But now that she was granted her distant wish, the feeling of desolateness embraced her with ghostly, pitch arms.

She texted Splinter and Leo to let them know she was home. She received "Alright," from her husband, and "Good to know," from her son. Her throat tightened and the tears began to flow again.

She passed Splinter at the dojo when she went to teach a yoga class, and he looked haggard. She'd smiled at him, and he'd smiled wanly back, mirroring her own face, she was sure. "Are you eating?" she asked him, when what she really wanted to say was, "Come home. I want you at home."

He'd nodded, "Are you?"

She laughed, because she knew that he knew the answer was no. She did not eat when she was stressed.

"Are you coming home?" she asked when she was leaving.

He'd looked at her for a long time, and she noticed Leo quietly slip into the office, a nervous look on his face. "There is a lot to do here," Splinter had finally replied.

She nodded. _Yeah, like meditate.  
_

So here she was now, approaching the table where Henry Battle sat with his Doberman at his side. He saw her coming and smiled brightly, and she felt her heart leap in her chest.

At least someone was happy to see her.

He stood up, and pulled out the chair opposite him on the little table. "Phoebe," he said smoothly. "You're looking well."

She knew damn well she didn't look well. She wore a green t-shirt and a pair of black shorts. When she sat down, the round scars on her thighs poked out, so that she tugged them on slightly. Her hair was down, to cover the scars on her temples, and she knew her jade eyes had dark circles under them. She did blush at the compliment and gentlemanly gesture. He, however, did look well. In a crisp, dark blue business suit, with the blazer open, his white shirt was pristine. The contrast made his golden eyes bright.

"Thank you," she replied, with what she hoped was an appreciative smile, tugging on her shorts. "I wasn't sure if you were going to be here."

"I wasn't sure if you were going to come," he countered. "I'm glad that you did."

"I talked to Donatello," she said quickly. "He said he would like to come to your lab. He's actually really excited about it." Her words sped up as she spoke, and panic seemed to be overwhelming her.

"That's good," Battle said carefully, tilting his head and regarding her. "I'm eager to help. And to get your input too," he continued. "As I said, anecdotal evidence is something we can't get in the lab. It must be awful, losing a little one because the mother can't carry it to term."

She nodded quickly. _It must be awful losing a little one..._ her little ones were all gone. Taken by someone to who knew where. What were they going through? _Yuuta and Anton must be so frightened_. _Calm down,_ she said to herself, but the panic kept escalating.

"The address is on my business card, do you still have it?"

She nodded, having trouble taking air into her lungs.

"Phoebe," he said slowly. "Is everything alright?"

The panic seemed to engulf her, seeping through her skin to her very bones, so that the world seemed to lose its color. "I'm sorry," she breathed, her voice sounding far away. She stood up, pushing the chair back as she did. "I have to go." She turned and began walking quickly away.

Battle was by her side in an instant, having thrown a bill on the table. He put his arm about her shoulders and steered her, in a very business-like manner, down the sidewalk to an apartment building. "Come on," he said gently, his walk brisk.

She began shaking, and the world went fuzzy as tears filled her eyes. She put her hands to her mouth, knowing it was twisting from her attempt to keep from crying. The feeling of his arm about her was warm, his torso almost touching her shoulders, but not quite. She missed being touched, and hadn't realized how alone she had felt until this moment, when someone else was touching her.

He walked her toward a building, where the doorman opened the front door quickly without a word, his face a mask of passivity. S _o that's why he chose that coffee shop. It's near his home._ The Doberman trotted at his heels obediently as they entered the elevator and the door closed behind them.

Suddenly alone with the man and his dog, Phoenix burst into tears.

He rushed her out of the elevator and into an apartment, the door clicking behind him.

"I'm sorry," she said, though her words were almost unintelligible.

"What's the matter?" he asked, again his arm was around her and he steered her toward the couch. He sat her down and handed her a tissue.

Taking it, she pressed it to her face, gasping for breath as the panic clutched at her with a crushing grip. _Get a hold of yourself,_ she berated. Inhaling, she opened her eyes, to see Battle holding a shot glass out to her.

"For your nerves," he said, sinking down beside her on the couch.

She looked at the golden liquid in the little cup. For some reason, this gesture seemed to indicate something significant, but she couldn't discern what it was. _Go home,_ the unbidden thought told her. She reached for the cup, downing it in a quick drink. Her mouth was so thick with her crying that she didn't even feel it go down.

She did, however, feel an uncomfortable warmth when Battle put his hand on her back and asked again, "What's the matter?"

Her eyes filled with tears again. "My baby is missing," she croaked.

Battle's face was smooth as he licked his lips. "What do the police say?"

She felt her heart crumble into tiny pieces, and fall to her feet in shards. "There are no police." His face looked confused for a moment, and she realized he didn't understand. Her baby wasn't considered a person. He was a missing pet, an animal, not worthy of a missing person report, much less of a search. A new rush of tears erupted from her eyes and she shook her head.

"Oh," he crooned, understanding dawning. "Your baby is a mutant."

She nodded, because no words would come out.

"If he or she is your baby," Battle said slowly, "they're a teenager, yes? Maybe they're at a friend's-"

Shaking her head vehemently, she sobbed, "He's five." She laughed hysterically, rolling her eyes and turning away from him. She must look like a loon. Of course, the thought because of her age, she wouldn't have a child that young. "He was a surprise." Only a half lie. She wiped her face with the tissue, trying to breathe deep to calm herself.

"You look like you could use this more than me." Battle turned her head, his fingers at her chin, and held his own shot glass of alcohol out to her. She took it, gulped it, and put the glass on the table. She closed her eyes, two tears dripping from her lashes, as the warmth from the booze finally penetrated her chest, loosening it slightly. When she opened them again, Battle was looking at her with a gaze of great compassion. "No wonder you're so upset."

Again her chest clenched, but the buzz she was now feeling made it last only a moment before it faded. She blinked again, and this time, no tears fell when she did.

"Forgive me," he said, "but what do you mutants do when someone goes missing?"

She laughed maniacally again, "We look for them."

"We?" His brows drew together.

She paused, her mind blank. _We..._ the unbidden thought echoed the word. _Us._ "We," she said. "As in them and I."

Battle nodded slowly, though Phoebe wasn't sure he understood what she was saying. The panic began to grab at her again, so that she stood up and swung around the couch in a quick movement. Her breath came in quick gasps, so that, along with the warm buzz that was starting to hit her, a wave of dizziness hit her. However, her chest opened again, and she felt her shoulders drop.

It was then that it her she was in an apartment. A _fancy_ apartment. Like the kind she grew up in. She suddenly felt rather small and inadequate, her clothing dingy, her long hair plain. She looked at the wall, and saw a photo of a younger Battle, along with a woman and a young man in a graduation gown. "Is this your wife and son?" she asked, her voice sounding far away.

"My ex-wife," he corrected. She jumped, he was at her side, and she hadn't noticed him get up or come up to her. "Our marriage only lasted three years. But yes, that is my son. When he graduated college."

Next to it was a photo of the two of them in EDF uniforms. "He joined the EDF?"

Battled nodded. "In his father's footsteps," he said softly. There was a moment of silence before he continued. "He was assigned to New York City during the Kraang Invasion. He went in, and never came out."

Phoenix felt her heart constrict again. "Oh, Henry," she crooned. He looked down at her, his eyes sad. "I know what it's like to lose a child. I mean," tears came to her once more, and she looked away from him. "Not one going missing. Dying..." She shook her head. "I should go," she said. "I'm sorry-"

He put his hand on her shoulder. "I don't think you're in a condition to go much of anywhere on your own. Why don't you let me call Donatello to walk you home?"

For some reason, the request sounded strange, why would she need to be walked home? She'd gone around the city in worse condition than she was now. _Gods, I must be a mess,_ she thought, nodding slowly. "I'll call him."

"He can meet us at the coffee shop," Battle smiled. "You look like you could use a doughnut."

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho sat on a metal stool next to a large, homemade computer desk, resisting the irrational urge to be antsy. It wasn't the first time she'd been hooked up to other machines like a piece of equipment. The treatment was routine and familiar, or it should have been. But things seemed different now.

They'd gotten the call early in the morning and Arcos had brought her right over. She hadn't given it much thought when Donatello had opened the compartment door he'd installed in her skull earlier to connect her, via cable, to his computer systems, but Arcos staring uncomfortably at the procedure had made her unusually self-conscious about it. He'd only asked once if she was ok, if it hurt, but seemed unconvinced by her assurances that everything was fine. Normal.

Normal.

There was the problem. Being accustomed to this, did not make it normal. Real people didn't get plugged into computers and have parts of their minds downloaded into those devices. If she really wanted a new life, one as an actual person, brief as it might be given the circumstances, she likely would need to readjust her baseline for what constituted acceptable treatment of her.

Not that Donatello was acting anything like the clinically-distant scientists that normally worked on her. If anything, he seemed just as empathetic towards machines as he was towards people. But he was very task-focused and all his attention belonged to the screen, scrolling through her code. Haggard, with dark circles under his eyes, he stared intently at the endless lines of text, possessed by a manic energy that was just barely counter-balancing the exhaustion. She couldn't help wondering how long it had been since he'd slept.

"Donnie…"

The mutant turtle blinked in surprise at the sound of Arcos's voice, looking at them in puzzlement as though he'd forgotten they were there, before rubbing his face until his appearance was merely tired again.

"How long does she need to be hooked up like this?"

Donatello ducked his head sheepishly. "Sorry. The download finished a while ago and I was just going through the files." He immediately moved to unplug her, close the panel and reseal the skin over her head.

Despite what she was planning to do, she couldn't help feeling like her current contribution was woefully insignificant. "Is there anything else I…"

Donatello shook his head, interrupting her. "No. Mostly, I need to think about it and figure out how I need to go about creating our Trojan Horse version of your monitoring software. I hate having to mimic other people's coding styles, especially when they're sloppy and inefficient, but it needs to be similar enough to fool the EDF's systems when you connect."

Her stomach clenched at the mention of returning to the EDF, but Donatello didn't appear to notice, though she could see Arcos tensing at her reaction. He probably would have proceeded to ramble about the technical details the plan entailed, had she not been saved by his ringing phone.

She took the reprieve to will herself back towards calm and felt Arcos's heavy paw rest on her shoulder. Turning to him, she managed a brittle smile of reassurance that he obviously wasn't buying. He started to say something, but Donatello broke into the moment before he could.

"I have to go."

They both redirected their attention to him as he scurried about, throwing several items into a messenger bag.

Arcos raised a furry brow. "Where? What about the program?"

Donatello didn't even look up. "There's someone mom wants me to meet. I almost forgot. And I'm still working on the program. Now that I've memorized the code I need to work with…"

"Memorized?" Her jaw dropped. That was a lot of material. She could have memorized it in the given time span, being part machine, but he didn't have the capacity to photograph images for perusal later.

He paused, giving her a wan smile. "Yeah, eidetic memory. I can go through it in my head during any downtime and let my subconscious work on it whenever I hit a wall. Don't worry, multi-tasking is fairly efficient for me." And then he was out the door, leaving them to stare after him.

Arcos sighed. "I guess we should go home then."

Home. She could feel a warm sensation spreading through her chest at the word. It sounded good. "Yeah. I'd like that."

TSOTCTSOTC

K76 dragged the motorcycle behind the train car, frowning at the good fortune of finding yet another container of gasoline, left next to a generator, just outside of the abandoned transit vehicle at the abandoned station.

It had quickly become apparent that the woman was not going to be able to move efficiently on foot, even if she hadn't been coping with serious injuries. Despite the suggested dosage for her medication, she was quickly becoming unstable.

He'd initially ignored the old tank of gas by the remnants of machinery at their prior location as likely degraded by time beyond the point of usability, but had opted to risk it after observing her condition. Somehow the bike had started and, after a winding course full of false trails, he'd finally stumbled across this place. And more fuel. Lucky. Except, there was no such thing as luck. Just probabilities of events. And the unlikeliness of his present series of coincidences was making him suspicious.

Entering the abandoned train car that he'd watched her stagger into moments before, his disquiet deepened. Who fully furnished a place like this? Certainly not the communities of homeless that built cardboard cities underground. Even if no one appeared to have been here in years, the level of habitation was definitely disturbing.

"What's wrong?" She asked, not giving him a chance to answer before moving to investigate their new temporary living quarters.

As much as he wanted to insist they keep moving, he was well aware of downturn in her health. Her breathing had become shallow and uneven, her temperature varied erratically and her skin was now pale and clammy. And she'd only get worse.

Looking into his bag, he glared at the three remaining doses of medication, as though it were their fault for being so few. No choice. Pulling one out, he guided her away from the wall she'd been examining and over to one of the dusty beds.

She'd resisted for a second, tensing at his touch, until she saw the syringe. Her ragged breathing eased slightly and her complexion became more robust surprisingly fast after the injection, but it was, overall, not as effective as he'd hoped.

Part of him wanted to continue demanding answers, reaching out for more memories that he couldn't keep, but she was in no condition. For reasons beyond his ability to explain, that bothered him, beyond the risk of simply losing her as a resource that he'd gone to great personal risk to acquire. He couldn't put his finger on why, but her health and comfort mattered to him for its own sake.

With a sigh, he opened more food and helped prepare it for her. "Eat. And rest. I'll keep watch."

Denim knew she felt bad, but it wasn't clear to her how she must appear to others. At least not until Not-Kyle led her to the cot and injected her. Her body was burning through this medication as fast as it did Donnie's. Her little somebody wiggled, reminding her she wasn't alone. But also worrying her, maybe even more than before he or she had started moving. Because now she was even more attached. She couldn't fail. They had to get home.

Not-Kyle brought her another peanut butter MRE and she bit off the end of the tube and squeezed it out in her mouth. She was starving. Right then she'd willingly try one of Mikey's craziest inventions and probably love it. Aside from the fact that most were good, some were just plain wrong. Yet as things stood, she'd eat jellybean and pepperoni and it might even stay down.

When Not-Kyle handed her a bottle of water, she looked over the top of the bottle as she drank, trying to find an excuse to trigger what she hoped was a silent alarm. But of course it would be, they were ninjas and Donnie a genius. She polished off the bottle and saw the perfect opportunity right below the button.

"You know, I wish you'd reconsider. My family helps people, all the time. It's kind of their thing. And you wouldn't be the first to come over from the dark side. If you return me to Mikey unharmed he will listen, and his mother, Phoenix, I'm sure she can help." She dropped the bottle in the trash then turned and leaned her back against the button. "I want to help you. Kyle may not have been in love with me..." Her chest shuddered and she swallowed a sob as her eyes rushed hot. "But he did love me."

Love?

Was that the cause of his irrational concern? Having never experienced the emotion before, he had no frame of reference. Emotional responses had been discouraged. He was mostly familiar with either frustration or satisfaction, dependent on his success at fulfilling his orders. Love, fear, sadness, even anger, were foreign to him though.

He was caught between the desire to purge the sensation from his system or to seek more of it. The feeling was like the memories, a source of pain, but tantalizing nonetheless. It didn't seem as though he had any say in the matter either way.

Frowning, he considered her suggestion. If the Phoenix was Kraang Legacy, as suspected, she could very well be capable of pulling information out of his head. Or planting it there. No. They could still make this work.

He shook his head. "We still have time. We can try again after you've had a chance to rest."

The corners of her mouth turned down, though he couldn't tell whether it was in frustration or dismay. Maybe both. He'd never been good at interpreting that type of data.

"But..."

"You...we can do this. There's no need to involve anyone else. I trust you."

He hadn't realized that was true until the instant the words left his mouth. He did trust her. Absolutely. And only her. He didn't know why, but she was the only person he would allow in his head. One way or another, it had to be just them. No one else.

Denim made her way over to the cot. She'd pushed the silent alarm, now she had to hope it still worked and someone, most likely Donnie, would see it. As she lifted the dusty blanket she frowned. There were problems with this plan. One, did the alarm even work anymore? Two, how long could she wait to find out? Three, if it did work how did this all work out for Kyle? If she got him to take her home Mikey would be much more receptive to listening than if he had to come here and rescue her.

The second she sat down her body sought sleep, but as she lay back her thoughts turned over the scenarios, the options. Then Not-Kyle's words sunk in. "I trust you." He trusted her.

He trusted her.

She sat up, looking over to see him peering through the train car windows. Kyle had said he trusted her, more than once. If either of them should've had trust issues it was her, at least at first. But he'd trusted her with things he kept from every other living soul, since the day they met…

 _Sunlight flickered across her cheeks through the car window. Denim closed her eyes, breathing deep as if she could inhale its warmth. There was something about those golden rays that held a faint assurance that everything would be all right. She exhaled a sigh, glancing at the trash bag on the floor board. If only that were true._

 _Her social worker slowed the sedan before pulling into the drive. She cut the engine and turned to look back at Denim. "We're here."_

 _Denim swallowed hard as she eyed the two story colonial. The yard was clipped short, bright green shrubs neatly trimmed below long windows with cheerful flower boxes. A heavyset woman opened the storm door and stepped out, a tall man followed her, then a flash of blond hair pushed by them both running toward the car._

 _The corners of Denim's mouth drew back in a wobbly, pasted on smile as the boy drew up short, grabbed the car door and yanked it open. His buck-toothed grin greeted her, and as her eyes drifted up she found freckle dusted cheeks with shining green eyes, wrinkled at the corners ready for anything. "Hi! I'm Kyle you must be Denim! I was really hoping you'd be a boy, but my dad said not to say that. Then my mom said we're pretty much the same age so you might still like some of the same stuff as me, and that you might even be a tom boy but that I shouldn't ask that. Are ya?"_

 _Denim couldn't look away from those eyes, a strange warmth filling her chest as she gazed into them._

 _"Well?" He reached in, his hand brushing her leg as he grabbed the garbage bag. "This yer stuff? Mom said you wouldn't have much and didn't have so much as a suitcase to yer name." He squinted his eyes as he glanced over her. "She said you'd be skinny too and ya are. Well come on. I'll show you around."_

 _He touched my leg! Her eyes darted over the mop of blond curls atop his head, her fingers drawing into her palms as she resisted the urge to reach up and touch them. Gods he's so cute!_

 _"Well you comin' or what?" With his free hand, Kyle grasped her bicep and tugged._

 _She near stumbled out of the car then followed him to the front door, her social worker laughing as they approached the couple on the porch._

 _"Mom, Dad," Kyle paused, still grasping Denim by her arm like she might leave. "This is her. I'm gonna show her around."_

 _Denim's eyebrows lifted apologetically as she whimpered, "Hi," before being yanked into the foyer._

 _The inside of the house was the nicest she'd ever been in. Most foster homes were lower middle class ranches, folks that were just trying to earn a little extra money off the funds the government paid them for housing her. But judging from the piano in the otherwise pointless room to her left these people didn't need money._

 _"That's the piano room." Kyle yanked her close to him, his breath ghosting her ear as he whispered, "My Mom kept trying to make me learn so I messed with the strings inside it, now it's out of tune until she gets it fixed. But don't tell nobody. I'm trustin' you. Okay?"_

The memory faded as the little somebody in her belly stirred. Her heart fluttered with the tiny movements that reminded her of all she had to get home to. The girl Kyle had so warmly invited into his life was gone. She'd been strong then, after moving from home to home unwanted, abused and forgotten. He'd brought her into their fold and adopted her as his own, even if his parents never officially had. A lump rose to her throat, moist heat burning her eyes. Over the years they'd seen each other through so much…

 _Rain fell in frigid sheets, at some angle that didn't seem possible, pelting the windows of the hunting cabin. It had been months since Sarah had died, but the cancer his mother now fought, only two weeks fresh, seemed to have ripped open the sutures of a wound within Kyle that just didn't want to heal._

 _Denim placed a steaming mug in his hands before taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch. He stared into the fireplace, the embers popping and cracking around a new log. And while he watched the flames, she watched him._

 _Sarah's death had left him in some broken state that would never be quite the same again, Denim was sure of that. But adding his only living parent's current struggle for her life, well Denim wasn't sure how to help him anymore, aside from simply being there and making sure he kept going._

 _Why he'd wanted to come back to the cabin though, that she wasn't sure of. So many things had happened in the tiny structure over the years, and it had been special to them growing up. Maybe it made him feel close to his dad, brought back memories or something like that… And he'd hidden Sarah there, so maybe it held some moments unbeknownst to her as well. Denim's stomach turned. Maybe they were intimate._

 _Kyle sipped the hot chocolate, marshmallow cream adorning the tip of his nose as he lowered the mug, placing it on the coffee table. He seemed to feel it and let out a feeble laugh as he glanced her way. "You even put marshmallows in it."_

 _She giggled as she scooted closer to him, pulling her hand inside the sleeve of her hoodie as she reached up to wipe it away. "If your Aunt Martha wasn't busy looking after your Mom she'd be the one making cocoa for you." Denim made a face. "Bet she wouldn't remember the marshmallows, and they're the best part." She wiped away the smudge and he stared at her, slowly reached up then stilled her hand._

 _"You're always there for me, Denni. You always have been. Thank you for that."_

 _His voice was raw, scratchy like he'd been crying for hours and she knew for a fact he had been, weeping silent tears in between sleeping in the backseat while she'd drove them. She bit her lip as she looked him over, familiar freckles that were bright flecks against the pale white of his cheeks. They'd been sun-kissed gold when she met him, rounder and smiling, instead of gaunt and frowning. Her throat hurt for the innocence of their childhood. Though hers had been tainted when she'd come to him, he'd given back to her everything it should have always been and she loved him for it. "I'll always be here for you."_

 _Tears brimmed, clinging to his long blond lashes. He sniffled as he wiped them away then reached for her, pulling her into his arms like a child clinging to a plush toy. But as he buried his face in her neck, sand-colored curls filled her gaze and she found herself combing her fingers through them. His chest rose and fell against hers, deep breaths that heated her neck as they slowed. Long moments passed with her twirling her fingers around each curl, then running her hand through them all, tousling them into a fluffy mess before beginning again._

 _"I love you, Denim. I want you to know that." He murmured into her throat. Then his lips sought her flesh, tiny kisses, before nibbling and sucking. Her heart jerked against her ribs. What was happening? What was he saying? Her stomach dipped and rallied. Gods what was he doing?!_

 _Sure they loved each other. They'd even told one another. But for him it had always been platonic. Even if she'd wanted more, wanted this very thing, there had been countless flings before that he was sure of… but it had never been her… and then came Sarah… His lips travelled up, along Denim's jaw, seeking her mouth. Her heart filled till it ached as she returned his tenderness with fervor. He was kissing her! After all these years! After turning her away again and again... He was reaching for her!_

 _His grip on her loosened and he slid his palm over her hip, pulling her beneath him. She was breathless and dizzy as he tugged her shirt over her head. Whatever this was she'd been waiting for it since she was fourteen years old and she wasn't about to back down now. She was in his arms, and it was her he wanted. It was her that he needed. It was her at last. He was hers. Finally._

TSOTCTSOTC

It had been five and a half years since Zoe had been drenched in the blood of her victims. Maybe her kills had just gotten cleaner since mastering Kyusho. Or maybe it was her life with Raphael, at least before her sisters decided to drop a pushpin on their family, leading the EDF right to them.

She leapt over a pile of bodies with faces that her mind refused to see, as with each mutant she dropped she slipped farther inside herself. Whatever the circumstances that got her there didn't matter if she was dead.

The hyena mutant cackled, a sick eerie sound that raked her fractured nerves as she slipped and slid in puddles of mutagen. There was a constant trickle of it, mixed with a vapor she didn't recognize that burned her eyes. Her attacker was fast, and wily, always trying to get behind her to launch his next attack. Sweat dripped down her temples as she dropped her head, tapping into her animal side to hear him breathing. Then he sprang.

His katana sliced through the air, sending a breeze across her shoulder. Too close. She snatched the closest body up, using it for a shield as he advanced on her. Blood spurt up from the gash across her last victim's torso as the hyenas blade ripped through. It splashed over her, adding to the caked, drying layers from everyone before him.

 _Get his weapon._ Her inner voice commanded.

She ducked and dodged his strikes, letting him work hard while she conserved her energy. His form began to break and she saw her first openings. As she moved to disable him, he reversed his stance and lunged for her yet again. She tripped over a body, landing among the corpses littering the floor. For a split second they blurred into focus, empty eyes fixed in the moment of death, mouths open, hands lifted to shield themselves... Some were afraid, others bloodthirsty. But all of them came to kill her.

A flash of silver rushed towards her throat and she rolled backward, not quite fast enough. The blade cut through her shoulder, scarlet drops rushing to fill the four inch gash. Her teeth ground together as a hiss filled the air. The edges of her mind became blurry, distorted. She couldn't remember why she was there. The only thing that mattered was staying alive.

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix sat at the small table, trying to eat the doughnut that Battle had insisted on buying her. Drinking the tea was easier, she hated to eat when she was upset. Her stomach just didn't want any food. She put a tiny piece of the powdered fried, round cake in her mouth, chewing.

"I'm going to guess that's him," Battle said, hooking his chin in Phoenix's direction.

She turned around to see Donatello striding quickly toward her. She stood up, glad that she could not abandon her doughnut and hoping she didn't look too much like a wreck.

Donnie followed the GPS on his phone to the address his mother had given him, relying on training and instinct to avoid colliding with the multitude of other pedestrians. He was still the least intuitive of the four of them, never truly able to let go of his grounding in reality, but situational awareness was a simple enough skill to apply without wasting too much attention.

Upon reaching proximity to his destination, he stopped and looked up to see his mother, standing by one of the tables, waving him over. She looked awful. Though he doubted he looked any better. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten more than a power nap. Probably before everything fell apart. That wasn't good.

At the table with her was an older human man whom he recognized as Henry Battle from the information his mother had asked him to look into.

He plopped down in the seat next to his mother and across from Battle, gently setting his messenger bag on the ground next to him.

Giving his mother a nod of greeting, he held a hand out to the man he came to meet. "Hi, I'm Donatello Hamato. You must be Mr. Battle. My mother's told me so much about you."

Battle took his hand, shaking it in a firm grip. "I am," he confirmed. His eyes moved to Phoenix for a moment, and he smiled at her. It made Donnie uncomfortable for some reason. It wasn't a malicious smile or even a dangerous one. It was licentious either, rather, it was as if he knew something that Donnie didn't and he was silently bragging about it. A sideways glance at his mother showed that Phoenix's face held the same smile it held for everyone else, save her 'mama' smile and her 'Splinter' smile. Both very distinct, and very different from the ordinary one she sported in return to Battle's. "All good I hope."

Donnie nodded at what he knew was small talk, which he wished would end. He hated small talk. April always took care of that.

Today he was lucky, his mother took over. "Donatello," she said, putting her hand on his arm, "what do you need to decide if you want to work with Mr. Battle's company?"

The human man across from him blinked, as if taken by surprise. "...you need...?" he echoed.

Phoenix, without missing a beat, turned from her son to him. "Yes," she said, as if it were obvious. "He hasn't agreed to work with you and I am sure he has parameters that need to be met."

Battle smiled. "How is five thousand a week?"

Both Donnie and Phoenix frowned, and the woman actually pouted. "That isn't what we're talking about," her voice had an edge to it.

The smile disappeared from the older man's face. "I am sorry," he said carefully. "I am afraid I don't understand what you're talking about..."

As Battle's question trailed off, a track of thought was running through Donnie's head tallying how many of their family's financial problems could be solved by an income of five thousand dollars a week, even for a limited time. While he wasn't able to control his various trains of thought, he'd learned to disregard unproductive lines to focus on the task at hand.

Battle probably wouldn't like what he had to say or the way he said it. Before April began exclusively handling their clients, they'd lost several to his blunt and tactless manner. Maybe he should have asked her to come along. Well, perhaps mom could smooth over any ruffled feathers, though honestly he expected she'd be more likely to add fuel to the fire.

"The conditions I work under matter more to me than financial compensation. First, when contracted, I need to be fully autonomous. I tend to follow my own methods, prefer to set my own hours and need to be able to terminate the contract at any time without notice, though I would certainly try to give some advance warning before doing so. Furthermore, I need to maintain control over anything I create and how it's to be utilized. Applications of my technology matter a great deal to me. Those are requirements I set regarding any contract I accept.

"In your particular case, I would add that any medicine produced by a formula I derive would need to be accessible to people of all socioeconomic status and not only the wealthy and I need to examine the raw data of any research you've collected in order to produce your own formula. While I would like to see your formula to compare with the one I've currently been working on, I'll understand if you refuse. Are these conditions acceptable to you?"

Henry Battle regarded the turtle in front of him, his golden eyes showing his slight surprise. He glanced at Phoebe, and realized he would get no different answer from her. She had her hand on the turtle's shoulder, standing close and a little behind him. Battle had fully expected for the turtle to come back at him with a larger number for compensation, not rattle on about needing to be autonomous. Of course, he'd been fully willing to pay more. _After all, one pays a premium for premium people.  
_

"Done," he said. "Do you require any special dietary requirements?" he asked slowly.

"Pizza," the turtle replied. "And coffee. Lots of coffee."

Behind him, his mother shook her head and mouthed, "Not lots of coffee."

"Quite the diet," Battle observed.

Donnie made a face, and Phoenix quickly added, "And a salad with one meal a day."

Donnie glanced up at her, making another face.

"When can I expect you to start?" Battle asked. When both of them looked at him quizzically, he added, "So I can order the pizza."

Phoenix smiled and he considered that it was quite a nice smile. _A shame.  
_

The turtle looked up at the woman behind him and they regarded each other. For a moment, Battle thought they might be communicating telepathically, until Phoenix asked, "What do you think?" to her son.

Donatello turned to Battle, "We can start now."

Battle blinked, taken off guard. "Now?"

"Is that not convenient?" Donnie asked, his voice tight.

He licked lips, making sure he was actually hearing correctly. This was too easy, as if the two of them were falling into his lap, like presents given to one on their birthday. He wasn't exactly ready for them, he had estimated they would want about a week, or at least a few days. Battle broke out in a huge smile. "We will make it convenient."

TSOTCTSOTC

Horace stood behind the register, absent-mindedly running his fingers over two small talismans on the counter. One a black, velvet bag, smelling strongly of sage and myrrh. At the very least, it contained a silver medallion with a pentagram, artistically engraved into the metal, and a clear, quartz crystal. He knew that much because he'd provided the two objects and could trust Darryn not to cheat him.

The other was a leather pouch, so tightly sealed that he couldn't begin to guess at the ingredients. His gran wouldn't have approved of the gris-gris, but Islande was Haitian and that magic was a force of good for her.

He supposed that he could have made them himself. He possessed the materials and technical knowledge. However, open-minded as he was, he had yet to dedicate himself to a single belief system and wasn't sure that he ever would. On the off chance that his lack of commitment had any bearing on the efficacy, he couldn't take the risk. So he'd sought out a few trusted practioners among his regulars. They'd offered him talismans of protection and good fortune and he'd granted them store merch at cost for the next month. Both were gifts freely given, though it still felt a bit like a transaction.

Now remained the problem of how to get them to Medusa. They'd gone longer between seeing each other before, but with her putting them on hold, temporarily he hoped, it seemed harder to endure.

She hadn't answered or responded to the call and text he'd tried earlier and he was pretty sure that blowing up her phone with continued attempts would not go over well.

He also still didn't know where she lived. It had rankled him that she wasn't comfortable with revealing that, as though he wasn't trustworthy. But after what had happened with her family, maybe it was more justified than he'd been willing to acknowledge. He always had to view the world differently when it came to her and he loved how that challenged him...when it wasn't infuriatingly frustrating.

Her brothers worked at La Vida Loca. He could try stopping there tonight and dropping them off, assuming that Aries and Raph hadn't taken some personal time to deal with their family stuff. And assuming he could convince the guys that the talismans were legit and not a load of bull. He'd likely have a better shot trying Aries as the ram mutant always struck him as the more genial of the two, by far, but it would be an uphill battle against the skepticism either way. A problem for future Horace.

"Horace?"

He snapped out of his reverie to see Calisto, a long time customer and local psychic, standing at the counter in front of him. He'd known her all the way back when she'd still gone by Edith. She wasn't a charlatan, not really, but there was a big difference between actually being gifted with second sight and merely wishing it were so with all one's being. While he doubted Calisto was any more mystical than Eddy, he didn't doubt that the change had helped her business.

Today her wild brown curls were a loose mess around her ruddy cheeks and her shawl and gown, hand-dyed and knit from natural fibers, flowed serenely around her cheerfully plump form. At the very least, she knew how to look the part.

She fingered her chunky, stone necklace as she pushed a deck of tarot cards towards him with a broad smile. "The candles dripped on some of my old cards and ruined the artwork."

Her last four decks had met with misfortune of some sort or other, usually the result of carelessness.

"I think the universe was sending me a sign?"

 _That you aren't psychic?_

"I knew I was meant to have this new deck the moment I saw it in stock. I absolutely love the border art."

Of course. Though he probably shouldn't complain.

"That will be thirty five dollars."

She leaned against the counter as she pushed her credit card towards him. "You should really let me do a reading for you one of these days. I could help you find your soulmate. You never know, maybe she's been right in front of you all this time."

He shook his head. "No need. I've already found someone pretty amazing."

Her smile faltered.

"I met her at La Vida Loca. She's unlike anyone else."

Calisto pushed off of the counter and straightened her shawl. "Oh, isn't that place more for mutants? Maybe you shouldn't get too invested if that's the kind of crowd she associates with."

He paused, midway through handing her card back to her, as though seeing her for the first time. "What kind of crowd and what's wrong with it?"

She shrugged. "I'm just saying that if she's got a taste for mutants..."

"She is a mutant." He snapped the credit card down on the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "Is there something wrong with dating a mutant?"

His tone implied that it wasn't really a question, but she answered anyway. "Well they can be dangerous, though far be it for me to judge a bit of experimentation. I'm sure the curiosity can't be helped..."

"I'm actually pretty serious about her." He pushed the receipt and pen towards her.

Calisto's expression turned stony as she signed. "I see."

He pulled the receipt back and dropped the bag of tarot cards in front of her. "Anything else I can help you with?"

She stiffened at his distant formality and grabbed up the bag with a jerky swipe. "I think not."

Pausing as she turned to leave, she looked back at him. "You're a respected businessman. You should consider your actions with care."

"If there's nothing else, I think you should go."

He watched her leave, jaw so tense it hurt his teeth. What the he'll had that been about? Sure there were small-minded people in the world, but they weren't supposed to be his customers.

Sighing, he tried to put it out of mind. He needed to focus on the task at hand, getting the talismans to Medusa. Of all the women he'd ever met, she was the most capable of taking care of herself, but some instinct told him, she might need a little extra help this time. He just hoped it was enough.


	62. Chapter 61

K76 paced the train car while watching her sleep as their time ticked by. He'd hoped the rest would rejuvenate her, but it wasn't happening.

Though she hadn't roused, her pallor had become increasingly chalk-like and her pulse thready. With his audio receptors cranked up, he could hear her heartbeat, irregular and losing strength. Her breaths came in stutters, like an engine struggling to turn over.

This wasn't good. She shouldn't need more yet. She hadn't needed to be dosed so frequently earlier. But, by now, he was fairly certain that her family's medicine was superior to the EDF's and, as it faded from her system, what he had to offer turned out to be a poor substitute.

Her respiration faltered before stopping completely. He froze, counting the seconds as a strangling sensation gripped his chest. An oddly detached portion of his mind informed him that the feeling most closely resembled descriptions of panic. So far, he was not a fan of panic.

Her sharp intake of breath caused him to release his own which he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

 _You have to take her back._

 _No. It's too risky. There's still time._

 _She's dying._

He shook his head as though the argument he was having with the voice in it was a physical thing that could be dislodged. Maybe he was merely malfunctioning and this was all pointless.

 _Or maybe, for the first time, you're starting to function the way that you're supposed to._

 _Shut up_.

Jaw tightening in frustration, he opened the bag and stared at the two remaining injections of medicine as though he could will them to multiply. He still had time, just not very much.

On the cot, he heard her breathing halt again and his hesitation evaporated. Grabbing one of the two remaining syringes, he rushed to her side and gently injected the fluid into her limp forearm.

He couldn't foresee the conclusion of this gambit he'd taken. But he knew that, no matter how it played out, it could not end with her death.

TSOTCTSOTC

Donnie shifted uncomfortably in the back of the car that Battle had summoned for them. All his instincts rebelled against trapping himself in a small enclosed space with someone he barely knew, especially when said enclosed space was mobile and being navigated by someone he didn't know at all. He'd gotten in to avoid appearing rude and paranoid after having all his concessions granted, but he couldn't help being jumpy.

Taking a deep breath, he told himself that he was being ridiculous. He knew where they were going, or at least where they were supposed to be going. His mother trusted Battle...as much as she ever trusted anyone outside of the family, so they should be fine.

Now that he thought about it, that might be what was bothering him. She hadn't known Battle that long. While she was generally courteous and helpful unless provoked, she did not trust easily...or quickly.

 _And whose fault is that? You're the one that cleared him after a cursory background check. If she trusts him, it's because she trusts you._

He frowned. He should have dug deeper, been more thorough, before telling her that the guy was on the up and up. Being busy wasn't an excuse. She'd deserved better.

Speaking of, there was something he needed to do while he had the chance. Battle was in the front with the driver making arrangements by phone in preparation for their arrival. His mother sat beside him, looking put the window, only the slight tension in her jaw revealing that she was not as comfortable with the trip as she appeared.

"I owe you an apology."

She turned to look at him, eyes wide.

"I've been a petulant brat and I'm sorry. I know better than anyone how difficult it is to be on call twenty-four seven to everyone in the family, but I've been holding a grudge against you for not responding immediately the day Denim was attacked the first time.

"It's hypocritical and unfair and I...it's just, back when the Kraang invaded and Leo was hurt, for three months I tried everything I could, but it didn't make any difference. He might have stayed unconscious forever and nothing I did would've woken him. It's not in my power to fix a coma. I'd never felt so helpless.

"So when Denim wasn't waking up and I didn't see any medical reason for it, I panicked. I was that helpless teenager again and I hated it and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

He looked down as he spoke, afraid that he wouldn't be able to get the words out if he met her eyes. He wasn't very good at talking about his failings, especially when he failed the people he loved, and this was doubly so considering he'd taken his frustration over those failings out on her.

"Oh, mon petit einstein," she crooned, her face breaking out into a compassionate smile. She reached up and cupped his cheek, her small hand curving against his softly scaled skin. "You don't have anything to apologize for." It always tore at her heartstrings when any of the children spoke this way, that awful guilty tone of voice for simply being...human. They were young people, and young people got petulant sometimes. Goodness, she lived his father-none of them were as petulant as her rat was. And in a way, she saw it as compliment, he wanted her there to help him. What more could ask for? "You didn't do anything wrong. You weren't being a brat. You're never a brat, out of everyone, even the baby." She stretched up, and while still cupping his one cheek with her palm, kissed the other one. "Forget all about it," she admonished. 

Battle twisted in the passenger seat, to see Phoenix's lips leave her son's face. "Everything is ready, I believe," he said, smiling. "Or, at least it should be when we arrive."

TSOTCTSOTC

The pillow was soft beneath Zoe's cheek. Early morning light filtered through the boards in the ceiling above, while the scent of alfalfa lingered in the air; an ever present fragrance that waned beneath Raph's distinct cedar scent. His arm rested around her waist, his breaths steady inhales and exhales against her shoulder. They should get up before anyone came out to the barn for morning training. But her muscles we're slack, her skin warm and her heart full. She hummed softly to herself as she pulled his arm tighter around her.

He pressed his lips to her shoulder, murmuring against her skin. "You ever gonna tell me what they're about?"

Her heart faltered somewhere between his touch and his question. "What, what is about?"

He placed tender kisses against her throat. "The nightmares."

Tell him of the horrors that were her origin? "No. They will ruin everything."

He ran a thick finger along the outline of her body. " _Or the truth might set you free._ "

Her blood stilled in her veins. Raphael didn't talk like this. Those weren't his words. No. They were the exact words of someone much more dangerous to her.

Where was she? How did she get there?

The hairs on her neck rose as he kissed her shoulder blade again, this time his cheek felt silken against her flesh where Raph's was slightly pebbled. She inhaled deep, seeking the comfort of his aroma, but was met with a more herbal fragrance. She inhaled deep, opening her mouth to taste the layers as she identified the organic compounds. Mint family... earthy... hints of grass... Her pupils shrank to pins, her mouth began to water and her blood trembled as the high rose swiftly, blurring her mind.

She intended to roll and face the male trying to seduce her, certain now that he was not Raphael. But when she tried to lift her shoulder it wouldn't move. She tried her arms, and legs. What was happening? Her heart beat hard against her ribs as her lungs filled with the intoxicating odor. She blinked trying to see the truth of her situation and the barn melted away leaving her lying beneath a beaming white light. Her pillow dissolved into a steel table, her entire body strapped down by metal brackets. There was something over her mouth and nose, pumping in the toxic fumes.

Where was she? What happened?

Those damn black sunglasses appeared close to her face, her enemy's black hair and sharp cheekbones were marred with clots of blood. _Hun._ He smiled as he reached up, lowering a monitor in her field of vision. "Time to adjust the focus of your temper, pet. All of that talent should not go to waste. Don't worry, soon enough you won't have those nightmares anymore." He pressed his lips to her cheek. "I am your truth, and in coming home to me I shall reward you by setting you free."

Even beneath the haze of her high his laugh grated at her insides. She had to focus, she had to remember how she got there and why she came. He switched on the monitor. Seconds later images of her slaughtering a hyena mutant filled her field of vision. The audio of his death scream was so loud her eardrums ached, and the sound reverberated throughout her chest. The camera zoomed in on her steely eyes and smooth impassive face. A bull mutant entered next, and in two strikes he lay twitching on the floor, her foot at his thick throat. One swipe of the hyena's katana and the bull was dead. As the doors opened again her next victim charging to his fate, Zoe's eyes rushed hot, blurring as pressure built in her chest. All she had to do was close them, but she couldn't look away.

Her sensei lowered his mouth to her ear. "That's my girl. That's your truth, sweetheart."

TSOTCTSOTC

 _Kyle leaned back on the roof, looking up at the sky as the day started burning away into twilight. She lay next to him, barely a few feet away, not seeming bothered by the scratchy shingles beneath them._

 _His parents would have a fit if it became known they were up here, more his mom than his dad, though this might not fall under his father's instruction to look after her. But the roof wasn't particularly steep and he'd wanted to share the spot with her. His place to go and think when he needed it, ever since he'd figured out how to force the slated, octangular attic window open._

 _He turned his head to look at Denim, the new addition to their family. She was gazing up at the stars just winking into visibility against the dusk sky as though it were her first time seeing them. She'd been like that since she arrived, often reacting to their home and family like it were something completely new. Had she never had a home or a family before? How could that be?_

 _She was still something of a mystery to him, often seeming as fragile as glass, like she might shatter if he wasn't careful with her. But, on the rare occasion that someone or something pushed her, he'd get a flash of the unbreakable steel that made up her core. For some reason, seeing that strength underneath made him more protective. Maybe because with it, if they could get beyond now, he knew she wouldn't let anything separate them. They'd always be a pair, a matched set, no matter what._

 _Regardless of where she'd come from. She was here now. His to protect. Always._

K76 blinked in confusion, momentarily disoriented. He could have sworn he was...somewhere else. But, as with so many things, whatever it was had fled beyond his ability to recall.

Across from where he sat, she lay in a restless sleep. Had he fallen asleep too? Was the other place that he couldn't recall from a dream? Frowning, he looked away. He wasn't designed to dream and barely needed any sleep, his CPU able to take over whenever his neural matter required maintenance.

He should wake her and resume his interrogation. He knew that. Time was running short. But if he hadn't roused her to pursue his personal goals by now, he knew that he wasn't going to. Somewhere along the way, his priorities had shifted, though he couldn't say exactly when it had happened. His original reasons for taking her no longer seemed so important. What mattered now was her. She was his to protect.

Where had that thought come from? He had no such mission. And yet...

Her muscles began to shake, small tremors that ran the length of her body, a possible prelude to convulsions.

Without bothering to weigh the cost and benefits, he grabbed the last dose of medicine and injected it into her arm. That was it. No more extensions. He was at the choice now, though it would appear that decision was already made. For better or worse his course was set.

But for now he would let her rest and sit by her side a little longer. He could allow himself that much at least.

TSOTCTSOTC

Donnie didn't even bother with a forced smile as Dr. Carrera glared up at him with dark, beady eyes during Mr. Battle's introduction. Instead he held his breath to avoid gagging on the chemical aroma of whatever hair gel the man used to give his short black locks that just-rolled-out-of-bed-and- had-no-time-for-matters-of- personal-hygiene look that was apparently popular among humans.

At the start of his business with April he'd made an effort to smooth things over, but had long since given up. Despite lip service that scientists gave to discovery being their top priority, no one ever liked having an outside contractor come in to do their job, even if Donnie consistently produced impressive results for everyone who hired him.

"...so I expect great things from this collaboration. Dr. Carrera, why don't you show Mr. Hamato around."

Dr. Carrera's lips pursed as though he'd swallowed something sour. "Of course, Mr. Battle." He turned to Donnie. "This way."

As Donnie moved to follow, he turned back to his mother who remained with Battle, "I'll catch up with you later." Given how he could get caught up in a project, there was no point in being more specific when he'd probably be wrong.

She responded with a nod and a tight smile, nowhere near right, but trying.

Dr. Carrera led him through the building, giving him a basic layout and describing the various labs and offices in as little detail as possible. What information he did give was intentionally misleading, not realizing the Donnie could easily identify what each room was for by the equipment it contained. For all their accusations that mutants were animals, humans could be very territorial.

It probably didn't help that he was annoying Dr. Carrera by appearing to not be paying any attention to the man as he spent the entire tour typing away on his phone. Unable to know how good Donnie was at multi-tasking, he clearly couldn't bear to be ignored, even if he was doing his level best not to share any real information.

Even if he'd cared about being polite, he'd figured out how he wanted to alter Sappho's code and couldn't wait to get going on it, especially with Carrera's less than impressive tour failing to capture his interest. It wasn't going to take long since he was subtly sneaking his parts into the existing text of her original program, saving him time and serving to disguise what he'd done. They'd just entered a room of cubicles when he saved the altered program to his home server with a satisfied tap of his T-phone.

"And this will be your workspace." Carrera gestured to a sad little cube with an outdated computer.

Donnie gave it a quick examination, determining that he could make it work, without complaining to Battle. He'd done more with less for most of his life.

Carrera held a sticky note out towards him. "Change it when you first log on and please don't use something obvious for your new password."

He accepted the log-in information, biting back a retort to the intended insult to his intelligence. He'd forgotten more about computer security than Carrera would ever know.

Wordlessly, he sat down at the terminal, logged on and took a quick inventory of his resources. There were the files upon files of raw data that he'd hoped for, files of data analysis which would probably be less useful, but he'd look anyway, even if he'd have to reinterpret it all. What surprised him most was the file for Battle's formula. No wonder Carrera was in such a huge snit. Unable to help himself, he opened that first.

It was similar enough to his, but had fallen prey to several pitfalls that he'd avoided early on. He noted the problems without suggesting the alternatives he'd used in his formula. It would be more interesting to see what corrections they tried without his influence. On the upside, some other elements, while still erroneous and unworkable, were novel ideas that he hadn't considered and could possibly improve upon in his own work. He'd have to ruminate on it for a bit.

Closing the file, he moved on to data. But, as he scrolled through, his expression of excited anticipation slipped into a deep frown. The information was impeccable, expertly collected and clearly organized. But there was so much...too much. Until recently, mutant-human pregnancies were rare and even with the sudden boom, there should not have been sufficient time to collect so much thorough data. Something was wrong.

Perturbed, he began to dig through the system for where this mountain of information had come from. The security was impressive, too good for even a company as prestigious as Battle's...high level government good. That was unsettling, but not an insurmountable obstacle for him. They hadn't locked down their administrative permissions enough when they'd let him in. It wasn't long before he'd accessed the most secure, hidden locations on the network.

His jaw fell open. The abrupt spike in formerly rare pregnancies was no natural occurrence. Battle's company had been adding a fertility booster to the water supply running through segregated mutant neighborhoods for months. In light of this, Denim's pregnancy was less a miraculous fluke and more of an inevitably.

Note to self: start work on local water monitoring and filtration system for family.

So Battle's company had created a pool of data to study. Why? Was it about money? To create a market for the medicine that he was developing? But mutants and the humans that chose a life with them tended to be severely impoverished and uninsured. That made no sense.

He quickly made a copy of the files and saved them to a secure folder in his own system as he pondered what possible motivation Battle and his company could have for doing this, but he was so tired and it was hard to think.

Wait. That wasn't right. Yes was tired, but even at his most exhausted he could focus better than this.

Blearily he looked around and felt a chill shiver down his shell as he realized the room was completely deserted except for him. Even on a Saturday, there should have been other people around. Not good. Why hadn't he noticed that before? Sleep deprivation?

He snatched up his messenger bag and ran for the door, as best he could with sluggish limbs refusing to coordinate. Yes, something was definitely wrong.

It wouldn't budge, though the handle turned. Barred from the other side probably, so picking it wasn't an option. The door was steel in a steel frame, so kicking it down wasn't gonna happen either. Too bad everyone had suggested that he stop carrying explosives around.

The door might be reinforced, but it's frame was set in dry wall. Clumsily tapping around, he identified where the wall studs were so that he could avoid them. Taking a deep breath, not a great idea in what was probably tainted air, and a running start, he burst shell-first through the wall to the left of the door, stumbling out into the hallway in a cloud of dust.

Before he could regain his bearings, he was greeted to the sound of rifles being raised. Damn. They'd been out here waiting for the drug in the ventilation system to do its work before breaching the room and taking him.

His hand itched for the bo staff that he wasn't allowed to carry around in public.

Note to self: design and build portable, telescoping staff.

Slow and disoriented from being drugged, he managed to drop, avoiding the initial volley of shots that peppered the end of the hall behind him, while releasing a handful of shuriken, swiped from the outer pockets of his bag to prevent the next round.

Their armor caught the stars meant for the soldiers, apparently thick enough to stop the projectiles, but the three aimed at the guns were expertly lodged to prevent more bullets from chambering.

With shuriken expended, he had nothing left to deal with the line of new soldiers moving forward to replace those that had stepped back to see to their weapons. The soldiers...their uniforms...something familiar.

His brain finally caught up. EDF body armor, only lacking the logo. Battle was EDF. The people who'd stolen the kids. His mom was with that bastard, not suspecting a thing. No!

Adrenaline burning away the effects of the drugs, he pushed off the floor and launched his bag at the men before rushing them. They were between him and his only exit to save his mom and he was going through them.

The bag slammed the center man broadside in the chest with enough force to take him off his feet as the other two raised their rifles, not the best weapons for close combat in an enclosed space. He could make it.

Both their shots missed as he leapt right, rebounding off the wall into the space where the left wall met the ceiling and pushing off there to spin down in a forward somersault that brought his heels down on the tops of their helmets, insufficient to block the force of the double blow. The satisfying crunch of bone as they went down offset the pain shooting through his feet.

Arching, he flipped back and away as another line of shots peppered the ground in the space where he'd been. Charging forward, he rushed the line soldiers with rifles newly freed of shuriken before they could unleash another volley, using his full weight to plow through them.

Yes! He was free.

And then a rifle barked behind him. The soldier he'd gotten with his bag must've recovered. No time to dodge completely, but he threw his weight aside so it wouldn't hit him center of mass, clipping only his shoulder region instead. It would hurt like shell, but he'd still be able to flee.

The force hit his shell like a punch, throwing him forward, almost off his feet. Any hope that they might be using ordinary guns and bullets, which his natural armor had a chance of deflecting, was quickly dashed as he heard the reinforced bone splinter open and his shoulder exploded in pain.

Blocking out his screaming bullet wound, he fought to keep his feet under him and moving with the momentum already pushing him forward, but they went loose dropping him to the floor as his whole body turned to pins and needles as it went numb, a relief only to his injured shoulder.

When he dropped, he was partially facing the way he'd come from, seeing the feet of armed men approaching his prone form. Beyond them were a few of the bullets, embedded in floor. Not bullets. Metal capsules attached to wicked-looking miniature harpoons. He'd been darted.

Have to push through it...get to mother...help...

The fight went out of him as his dim vision went from grey to dark. He'd lost.

TSOTCTSOTC

Karai stood outside the dojo, sick to her stomach with what she was about to do. Every fight she and Leo ever had up until now, had been petty, play, or who was right could be argued by point of view. Neither of them wanted to be at odds with the other so they'd work it out... right here in the dojo... or more often than not, in the bedroom.

She inhaled deep as she opened the door. It had been days since he left. He texted to check in, see if there were any changes, any news, and he informed her that he would be staying at the dojo with Splinter. But they hadn't spoken face to face. She frowned as her stomach flip flopped. She was about to change that.

As she made her way through the office, and down the hall, entering the dojo itself, she slipped off her shoes and bowed then looked around for signs of life.

Her father was meditating, which was no surprise. What struck her was his haggard appearance. Was he eating? Was Leo? Who was feeding them, because neither of them were particularly adept at food preparation. Of course neither was she, but that's where eating out came into play.

Her father opened one eye then the other. "Miwa?" His ears turned toward her. "Are you all right? What are you doing here?"

Karai tried to hide the sting of his question. She'd never felt so unwelcome anywhere by her father as she did in that moment. "I-I'm looking for Leo."

Her eyes darted over the dojo. Was he in the locker room? The shower?

"I'm here." He appeared in the locker room doorway, with dark circles and bloodshot eyes. "Why are you here? Has something happened with mom?"

Splinter lifted his chin, waiting for her answer.

"I don't know where mom is. She might be at clinic. We missed each other this morning. I left early for an AFE meeting." She looked her father in the eye. "I'm sure she needs you at home, Father. I know how much I miss Yuuta. I can't imagine how this must be for both of you."

Splinter said nothing at first, instead lowered his gaze as he stroked the long fur under his chin. "I will see to my affairs as I see fit, Miwa." He stood and made his way toward the dojo door. "I will leave you to see to yours."

As the door closed behind Splinter, Leo walked to the utility closet, pulling out disinfectant spray and a rag. He made no effort to start a conversation as he began to clean.

She watched in uncomfortable near silence, with only the sound of liquid misting the equipment to disrupt the growing tension. Who knew he could be every bit as stubborn as she? But then she was wrong, she'd messed up and she knew it. Would this whole thing have never happened if she'd been upfront about the harassment early on? Would it have changed anything?

"I guess we'll never know."

Leo's voice yanked her from her circling thoughts. "Know what?"

He wiped down a mat, his shell to her. His voice didn't have the smooth melody of confidence. What it lacked in spirit brought a pang to her heart. His voice, the at he lit up when they were together, the way he talked to her and about her... he always made her feel... loved.

Not now. Now he was letting her feel his pain. His disappointment.

He sprayed the mat, rubbing a stubborn spot. "If things would be different, had you been honest from the beginning."

"I screwed up, Leo. I'm sorry. I can't undo it, and no I guess we won't know. But, we can still try to fix this, to make it right. Together. All cards on the table." She took a step closer to him and his wiping hand stilled.

His mouth was set in a terrible frown and as the seconds ticked by, long, silent, terrible things that left her hearing the blood rush by her eardrums.

He heaved a burdened sigh as he set the bottle and rag down. At last he turned to face her. His electric blue eyes were tired, full of years of battles both won and lost and yet somehow, though hardened by his duties he managed tenderness too.

"I hate how this feels." His voice came out low, scratchy as if there were something in his throat. "I've never been so, so angry and disappointed, and frustrated, and Karai I've felt all of those things in our past together but this- this feels like a violation of trust in our family, our relationship. Keeping this might've cost us this family's children. The kids, Karai!" He rubbed his face, almost looked away, but didn't. She almost wanted him to. The way he was looking at her, the things he was saying-

He wouldn't- leave her - would he? Where would that put her? What would that do to their family? For a second she forgot how to breathe. What would life be like without her Leonardo? Her best friend, her confidant, the only one who always believed in her... what would life be like without him?

Her stomach turned. "Leo, I'm sorry. I messed up. It won't happen again. Let's focus on finding them and making this right."

His nostrils flared as his eyes hardened. "And what if we can't? Huh? Where does that leave us all? What will that do to everyone? What if it's too late?"

This was it. She'd found his breaking point and snapped all that they were in two. Her entire body began to shake. "Leo, please-" Her throat grew tight and she thought she was choking.

His eyes darted over her, his teeth bared in a scowl that slowly melted away into an expression of tremendous loss and helplessness.

Her eyes burned with moist heat. "Please. I can make this right. I know it. I can feel it, and I swear I will never let us down like this again."

He stared at her, his expression unreadable. His scent drifted into her nostrils as she forced breaths. Damn how that aroma could warm her insides like sake. Her fingers curled into her palms as she resisted the urge to touch him. This was her error. It was for him to decide.

His eyes became glossy as he reached out and snatched her arms, pulling her against his plastron so tight her ribs ached. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his lips ghosting her flesh. "I can't be without you. I just- can't." He kissed her cheek then straightened and stepped back, his eyes hardening again. "So don't put me in a position to have to choose. Let's find them."

TSOTCTSOTC

Splinter could hear Leo and Miwa speaking in the dojo, and would have been able to understand the words if he paid close enough attention. He consciously did not, something that years of living in close quarters had instilled in him. He knew that Phoebe must have been in quite a state at the apartment, and had probably left before Miwa could see her on purpose. She didn't like to be fussed over, for any reason, and when she was very upset, she did not eat and had trouble sleeping. 

When was the last time he'd eaten or slept properly? Not since Yuuta and Anton's kidnapping. 

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, before anger could overtake him. He wanted to blame someone, for it to be someone's fault. His mind, naturally, drifted to his wife. She had not secured her slingshot, so that the boys had been able to steal it. If they had no weapon, they most likely would not have run off to save Denim. She had failed to learn to recognize their chi, when she could not only recognize his, but manipulate it also so that he could feel it. If she had concentrated on using that power to get a grip on each of her family members, they could find the boys and Zoe and have everyone back home. 

But despite his desire for it to be reasons for their predicament, he knew it was not so. He could do the same thing with any of his family. If Raphael had run faster, he would have caught Zoe. If Aries had been watching the children, they would not have snuck out. If Michelangelo had kept a better eye on Denim, she would not have been kidnapped. If Miwa had told them, from the beginning, what was happening, none of this might have happened. Choosing the one person closest to him, his wife, was just easier. But that did not make it true. 

He opened his eyes. They were dry from crying and lack of sleep. Perhaps he should go home. He could wait for Phoebe to return, and they could mend their bridges as best they could with the circumstances.

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix watched Donnie walk away, and suddenly felt very alone. She knew she wouldn't see him for days-he had a new idea to obsess over, and no alluring April to distract him. 

"He'll be fine," Battle's voice brought her back to herself. "I've ordered that he have a salad with each pizza, and that after the first pot, he gets decaf coffee." 

She laughed, turning to look at him. He smiled back at her, his golden eyes shining. "Thank you," she said. "We'll be lucky if he eats or drinks at all. He'll be like a kid in a candy store." 

Battle nodded slowly, tilting his head to the side. "I'm sure he will be. But, I'd like to get your help." 

Her smile faded. "I'm not entirely sure how I can help you, Henry," she said. "Other than introducing your company to Donatello." She shrugged self-deprecatingly. "And I didn't really do very much there. He would have happily come along with you as soon as he knew what kind of equipment you'd dangle in front of him." 

He motioned for her to start walking down the hallway, which she did. "We can greatly use the anecdotal knowledge you could provide," he repeated. "From what I understand, no one has quite the eye that you do." 

A shiver went down Phoenix's spine at Battle's last statement as he came to walk up close beside her. "What do you mean?" 

"You're very good at deciphering what is wrong with a mutant," he said, his voice almost clinical, but he smiled down at her. 

"I've been doing it a long time," she replied. A group of three people turned the corner down the hall, wearing EDF armor, but without the logo. Each had a rifle, their armor made it impossible for Phoebe to tell if they were male or female. They looked straight ahead as if Phoebe and Battle were not there. Something about it didn't feel right to Phoenix. She could see if Battle had used the same fabrication method to make armor for his security guards, but why would they need armor in the first place?

"So have I," Battle stepped aside so the three armored guards could pass. "One would think you were a veterinarian at one time." Silence hung in the hallway as he paused. "But all of my contacts deny that you were." 

Her gut clenched. _Contacts?_ "What do you mean?" she asked again. 

"You've been quite an enigma to me for some time, Phoebe. Well," he shrugged, "not you. But The Phoenix."

Her heart began to pound in her chest, and her fingers twitched to grab her slingshot-wait, she didn't have it. She took an involuntary step back. 

Battle took one forward. "I have been searching for you since The Kraang Invasion," he said, smiling broadly as if he were giving her a present. "You are one very difficult person to find." 

"That's the point," she said slowly, placing her hands on her thighs to keep from grabbing her knife. She noted that the three guards had stopped and turned around, now facing them once again. 

"I was looking for a mutant." He chuckled. "It never even crossed my mind that a healer of mutants was human." 

She pursed her lips together. 

"But then," he held up a finger. "You aren't human, are you?" 

She didn't answer him, her dark green eyes darting from Battle to the armored guards. 

"You're part of the Kraang Legacy," he continued. "That is how you were able to give birth to a mutant." 

Phoenix took another step back and Battle did not follow her. 

"He's not a hybrid human. You are." He shook his head. "You're not going anywhere, Phoebe." 

"I am leaving here," she said forcefully, drawing her knife, "with Donatello." 

Battle took a deep breath as the three guards drew their weapons. Phoenix prepared to begin dodging bullets, but none came. "I am hoping to do this in a more civilized fashion," he said. He reached in his coat pocket, and drew out Phoenix's slingshot. She froze, knife in front of her. "I believe your grandson had this on him when some of my men picked him and your little rat up." 

She took a deep breath, anger blossoming in her chest. This man, who had lured her into trusting him, had her Anton and Yuuta. "What have you done with them?" she growled. 

"Oh, do you have a bit of animal in you?" He laughed. "I've put them in safe keeping, Phoebe. They're both fine. However," he put his hands behind his back. "If you do not cooperate, they will _not_ be fine." 

She stayed stock still, her knife out in front of her as Battle approached. He walked right to the tip of her knife, as if it wasn't there, and reached up to cup her cheek. "I am trying to be kind to you, Phoebe." 

_Kind? What sort of maniac thinks this is kind?_ She pressed the tip of the blade into his skin, dimpling it just under his jaw. She heard the guns cock. 

"You're not going to do that," Battle said confidently. "If you do, then I will make sure both Anton and Yuuta suffer very greatly before they die." 

She winced at the sound of their names and lowered the knife. 

Battle smiled, cupping Phoenix's other cheek. "I have looked for so long for you," he crooned. "I have no intention of letting you go. But maybe," he leaned in close, his lips coming to her ear, "if you are good, I will let the boys go."


	63. Chapter 62

K76 reached out to gently wake her. Much as she needed the rest, as the dark circles under her eyes would attest, she needed to eat more. Not that he believed she'd gotten much rest. Her sleep, though long, had appeared fitful at best.

Bleary-eyed, she looked around groggily, trying to get her bearings as he tore open the last MRE. Out of just about everything now. Before she could begin insisting he take her home, he placed the food in her hands.

"Eat."

With a deep breath, he rose to his feet, thinking about what she would inevitably ask. She wanted to go home. He could take her. Or drop her off somewhere she'd be found, though that was riskier. Tempting as it was, keeping her was the most dangerous choice of all.

He recalled her offer, what she'd said about her family helping him. He believed that she believed they would. But after what he'd done, he knew better. The safest path for her would be a death sentence for him. Did it matter anymore?

Her chalky skin stood out in contrast to her colorful, if filthy, clothing and her hands trembled violently as she struggled to feed herself.

His predicament seemed to matter less and less. He could...should give her this. Despite the cost. But that would mean letting her go. Could he?

He paced back and forth as he considered his limited options. The medicine was gone. Denim's condition was declining and he was out of time. A decision needed to be made. Now.

If he tried keeping her any longer, he could kill her and for reasons beyond his personal need for her assistance, his mind recoiled from that outcome. Unacceptable. He couldn't take that risk to keep her. No, he would pay the price to see her safe.

TSOTCTSOTC

It was difficult to focus with so much on the line. Karai pushed the rolling chair back from her desk. She opened every drawer, pushing papers around but she still couldn't find them. Her next speech was more important now than ever before. She had notes, she was sure of it. But where had she put them?

April peeked around her monitor. "Something wrong?"

Karai slammed a drawer shut before meeting her sister's gaze. "Aside from the fact that Leo and I are in the most precarious place of our entire relationship, and four family members are missing? Actually yes, I can't find my notes for my speech."

April ran her hand through her hair and sighed. "This speech is important, Karai. Tensions are higher than usual between humans and mutants right now." Her eyes narrowed on the latest newspaper headline.

NON-VIABLE MUTANT-HUMAN PREGNANCIES ON THE RISE- Doctors warn against...

Karai's teeth ground together as she flipped through the folders on her desk. "I know how important this is. Believe me I get it- I had it half written- I just-" She kicked her desk then remembered where she'd seen them last. Her eyes flew to her unfazed sister. "Donnie took my phone. They were on my phone." She reached for the replacement cell he'd given her, ready to call him.

"Oh, well that's no problem. It's in my purse. I was supposed to give it back to you once he was done with it." April reached for her purse, fished out the device and tossed it to Karai. "I don't know if he was finished or not. I found it on the kitchen table. I picked it up meaning to ask him first."

Karai caught the phone as she exhaled a sigh of relief. "Well that's a huge rel-" She tapped the screen and stopped short. A new message. She opened it and her breath fled her.

April craned to see. "What is it?"

Karai pulled the phone to her chest. Oh, gods. Oh, no. No. She had to tell her, but how?

"Karai, what is it?" April's eyes widened. Her face paled then flushed red. "More secrets, after everything you're going to keep more-"

"No! No, I'm not- I just-" Karai held up a hand and took a step back. Her heart was pounding as she held the phone out, showing April the photos. "We have to call Leo, right now."

The first photo was Yuuta, April swiped the screen, Anton, she flipped to the next and her chest tightened. "Phoenix?" Her hand began to tremble. Say it isn't so. Please. Donatello' face appeared. Was he unconscious? Was he hurt? "Donnie?"

As April's face crumbled, Karai's mind cleared. One missing family member was bad enough. But six. Her jaw shifted as her nails dig into her palms. Enough was enough. She picked up the replacement phone Donnie had given her, swiped the screen and made the call.

TSOTCTSOTC

Leo stared blankly at his phone long after the called ended, torn between relief that Karai was keeping her promise by bringing this to his attention immediately and wishing that he didn't know it.

He was standing in the hallway, several paces outside his apartment door after opting to close up the dojo early. No one was there. Attendance had dropped off sharply with the recent bout of anti-mutant stories in the news and he wasn't sure their weekly regulars would be enough to keep them solvent. _A problem for another time._

Despite that, things had been looking up today. Until just now. He and Karai had reached an understanding. And father had finally come home, which was typically a sign of impending reconciliation with mother when things were amiss between them. He hated his parents being at odds almost as much as being angry with Karai, or her pissed at him, or both.

Now, instead of things turning around, it had all gotten much, much worse. How had this even happened?

Curling his hand into a fist, he resisted the urge to punch through the wall. The superintendent would know exactly which family was responsible and they'd be liable for the damages.

Enough! Risky or not, he was done waiting. They'd take whatever they had done and enact the rescue plan as best they could with whatever they had. It was time to take the fight to their enemies.

He'd need to get to Donnie and April's immediately to take inventory of what resources they'd managed to pull together before being dealt this most recent blow.

As he turned away from his door, he cringed at the shiver of guilt running up his shell. Yes, he needed to get moving on this, but there was something he had to do first. He couldn't use the mission to shirk it. Father must know. The whole family must know, but he was obligated to tell his father first. Now.

Miserable, he steeled himself for the task ahead. It was time to break the bad news.

TSOTCTSOTC

Splinter's brows drew together, forming a white 'v' as he stared at the screen on the mobile phone. With a long, pink finger, he swiped, watching, once again, as the photos of Donatello and Phoebe, the first unconscious, the second scowling, but apparently unharmed. He took a deep breath as he felt his grip on the phone tightening.

First his youngest child and grandson, now another son and his wife. How could they have been captured? Both were accomplished fighters. Their opponents would have to be if the highest caliber to defeat them.

But... While Donatello looked as if he had lost a fight, Phoebe didn't look like she been in one. Had she let herself be captured? Like Zoe? Or had she simply given up? 

No, she never gave up. Even if she knew she was wrong, she did not give up once she started on a course of action. It was one of the things that drove him utterly crazy about her-she did not know when to stop. And it was one of the things he adored about her, she was full fire and not afraid. 

He had come back to the apartment, ready to make amends with his wife, to find the flat empty. He thought nothing of it, it was not uncommon for Phoebe to go out on long clinics when she was upset, she needed to move, to do something to make herself feel better. 

But now her photo was in front of him in high definition, scowling at the camera. Before hers, his sons, his grandson, all in danger, all being dangled in front of him like cheese on strings.

He felt the plastic give under his fingers and handed the phone back to Miwa, remaining silent.

"Father?" she asked, her voice uncertain. 

He took another breath in, slowly, and exhaled through his mouth. "We must get them back." His own voice was hard as flint. 

"I've already called everyone over," Leo replied gently. "They should be here any-" 

The door opened, without a knock, and Raph and Aries came inside. "What's going on?" the ram asked. 

"-minute," Leo finished.

TSOTCTSOTC

K76 paced back and forth as he considered his limited options. The medicine was gone. Denim's condition was declining and he was out of time. If he tried keeping her any longer, he could kill her and for reasons beyond his personal need for her assistance, his mind recoiled from that outcome. Unacceptable. He was going to have to take a risk.

He stopped pacing to look at her. "And you're sure this Phoenix can and will help me?"

She nodded.

With a sigh, he responded. "Then I need to get you back." Another thought made him hesitate. "Don't tell Alli about me. Please. I don't want her to associate Kyle with the monster who hurt her…and you."

Before she could answer, all his instincts were screaming in warning. He spun to look out the windows for any possible threat and felt something sharp hit him in the neck. With all the speed he could muster, he tugged the metal barb out of his flesh, but it was too late. The last thing he remembered as he fell screaming was the burning pain surging up into his head.

TSOTCTSOTC

K2 crouched on the edge of the platform, watching the train car. With the magnification and low light features of his optics active, he could easily make out his targets within, despite the layers of grime coating the windows of the vehicle. He didn't need details to confirm either their identities or positions. It was almost too perfect.

When they'd begun their campaign of ferreting out information on the Hamato clan, he'd never expected to land his personal quarry so easily. After K76 had gone to ground, it looked like it would be a lengthy and tedious hunt tracking the rogue cyborg down.

But when his people had struck gold, canvassing the homeless communities for information on mutant habitation in the pre-war years, everything began falling into place. Although many of New York's indigent residents held a particular loyalty towards those they were specifically seeking information on and resisted speaking, the right combination of bribery and threats could almost always be found to make them open up.

Between his insane ravings about 'monster squirrels' one man had turned out to be a wealth of information on the mutant turtle sites they were looking for. Even with that windfall, K2 hadn't anticipated any of his agents actually finding anyone present when going out to identify and map the given locations. Discovering K76 and Denim Sanders at one of the several spots their people had been sent out to investigate was a much welcome shock. One that he couldn't wait to move on.

And here they were, fruit just waiting to be plucked. As a precaution, he checked his rifle over one last time. The nano-bots in his tranq dart were proto-types and of limited supply. It would take weeks to manufacture more, so he would only get one shot at this. Everything needed to be perfect. If it all went according to plan, he'd have his two rogue cyborgs back in custody within the next couple of days, hopefully chock full of new information to be used against their latest set of targets.

Taking careful aim, he lined up the shot. K76, paced back and forth in agitation in front of the window as he talked. Predictable movement. Locking on target, he pulled the trigger, intending to strike K76 in the back of the neck.

As though sensing the attack, K76 reacted, choosing wrong. He might have saved himself, if he'd merely dodged, but instead, he'd spun towards the window, seeking out the threat. The dart shot through the open half of the window, catching him in the throat. He immediately yanked it out and tossed it away from him, but it was too late. The nano-bots were already in his system.

K2 waited patiently for them to work their way through his bloodstream to his brain and CPU, a matter of seconds. As the tech installed the new software into his system, allowing the EDF to remotely regain control of their rogue agent, K76 grabbed his head, screaming as he dropped writhing to the floor. It wouldn't take too long for the home office to review the most recent set of brain scans the computer automatically took as part of their bio-monitoring. Once, they identified which portions of K76's brain activated during his moments of dissidence, the nano-bots could be deployed to lobotomize those regions and bring his episodes of rebellion back under control. Excellent.

Hopping off the platform and loading up a normal tranq dart, he started towards the train car to enact the next phase of the plan. His handler had already informed him that the message had been sent out to the turtle who'd fathered Ms. Saunder's offspring. _Better hurry unless you want to lose her permanently._ That combined with the location and an image of the clearly injured woman he'd recorded upon arrival should bring the mutant quickly. And likely alone, not that it especially mattered, but, given the psych profile on the mutant, he doubted that it would stop for anything after that notification.

And upon finding Ms. Sander's gone, with K76 as his only clue, it shouldn't take long for K76 to be brought in contact with K8. Given the EDF's most recently acquired resources from the Hamato clan, she would be their only remaining means of extracting information from K76. Infecting her with the nano-bots in his body would be a simple, natural result, bringing their rogue agents home. Whether or not the enraged mutant killed K76, remained to be seen, but it was a calculated risk and he still expected to get most of the parts returned intact. If they needed to refit him with a new set of organic components, then so be it.

"Kyle! Kyle!"

Her cries stopped abruptly as she saw him enter the far end of the train. He'd expected her to back up, abandon K76 and try to escape, but she maintained her protective posture over his writhing form. Interesting. That could be of use, if K8 was able to return a functional K76 to HQ.

Especially, since her status had recently been switched from terminate to retrieve. After getting a look at the Hamato scientist's formula, their people were now eager to study the different effects it was having on Ms. Sanders versus their other test subjects. And the project lead for the custom-mutant team was interested in trying out his behavior protocol on her offspring first before launching it into the designer mutants they hoped to make. It would be their first opportunity to start the behavioral conditioning as they did with their hybrids. And who knew. If her offspring was anything like the one that fathered it, it might prove to be a very effective weapon, once properly trained.

Her eyes narrowed in hatred towards him for a second before casting about for a weapon. He could see her gaze lock onto a familiar duffle bag, probably containing K76's pistol. Injured or not, she was going to go for it. Too bad, she'd never make it in time.

He raised the rifle and took aim as she dove for the duffle bag. "Waste not, want not."

"Get away from her!"

K76 slammed physically into him, knocking his aim off enough to miss. He bit back a cry of pain as K76 tore his side open, bare-handed.

Roaring in fury, he rammed the butt of his rifle into K76's throat, sending the malfunctioning unit sprawling away from him. Before he could recover, he heard the click of a gun slide chambering a bullet and barely got his arm up in time, letting the mechanical limb take the bullets intended for his center of mass. Even one-handed and badly injured, Ms. Sanders was a skilled shot.

Cursing, he threw his now empty rifle at her, forcing her to dodge so that he could escape the train car. Between her being armed and the mutant's imminent arrival, there was no way he could snatch her now. Damn!

Furious, he made a quick retreat. The plan, though somewhat screwed could still work. K76 would probably die, a possibility that no longer bothered him, and he'd failed to acquire Ms. Sanders, but K8 could take her later once they'd regained control. Yes. It would all still work out. He hadn't been beaten yet.

TSOTCTSOTC

K76 thrashed on the ground as his skull burned like it was full of fire ants. He didn't know exactly what was happening, but he had an idea. Although there was no scientific basis for it, he'd swear he could feel the return of his handler's presence in his mind. He didn't know how the EDF had reconnected to him. Only that they had.

His limbs jerked independent of his will, as though attached to marionette strings, and he felt a surge of panic. He was losing control. They were overriding his mind. Taking everything. He'd lost.

Through the haze of pain and despair, he could hear a familiar voice screaming a name over and over. Kyle.

 _Denni?_

Prying his eyes open, he could see her and, despite his impending doom, the sight brought him comfort. At least it did until his gaze traveled to the other end of the train car where K2 aimed a rifle at her.

 _No!_

Adrenaline burned through his muscles, pushing back against the foreign will being imposed upon him.

"Get away from her!"

Snarling, he threw himself at K2, slamming full force into his old commanding officer, scrabbling for whatever advantage he could manage with his uncooperative body. Hands landing on K2's torso, he dug in his fingers as deeply as he could, tearing away fistfuls of living flesh.

And then K2's robotic hand clamped down on the fist he had on the cyborg's exposed side, prying it free and wrenching the finely tuned joints of his digits out of alignment as the butt of a rifle rammed into his throat, throwing him back.

His rational mind, knowing that his cybernetic throat was still completely functional, warred with instinct that wanted him to gag and gasp for breath. A fight complicated by the struggle for control over his body.

When he'd finally mastered himself, at least for the moment, he realized that K2 was gone.

Denim's mask of determination faltered and her pallor grayed. Doubling over in pain, she sank to her knees.

With each passing second, he could feel more of himself slipping further and further away. There wasn't any hope for him. He would be lost soon.

 _There's still hope for her. Save her. Save Denni_.

Motivated by a sudden protective urge that was both familiar and completely foreign to him, he forced himself back onto unsteady feet and stumbled over to her.

Maintaining control be sheer force of will, he caught the pistol that fell from her nerveless grip as he scooped her up. Somehow, some way, he'd get her home before he met his end.

TSOTCTSOTC

April sat on the floor, knees curled up into her chest as she leaned against the wall in the shattered ruin of her apartment, getting through each breath from one agonizing moment to the next.

She'd lost him once before, too weak to protect him when he'd needed...trusted her to be strong enough to resist the possession of the Aeon crystal. In that moment she'd utterly failed him, betrayed that precious trust. After the miracle that had enabled her draw him back to her, she'd promised herself that she'd never lose him again.

And yet here she was. Alone.

After discovering the most recent loss of family, she'd completely lost it, telekinetically lashing out against everything around her. The neighbors must have wondered if something had exploded. Fortunately, that was a common enough occurrence with Donnie's work that no one had called the police. She'd been curled up here long enough that they would have arrived by now if they were coming at all.

Losing a mother for the second time in her life would have been debilitating enough, but everything paled against having Donnie taken from her.

On some level, she understood that the rest of her family was already mobilizing to deal with this latest blow. That there was still a chance to regain all that they'd lost if they kept it together. And at some point in the future, she would be a part of that. She would find whoever had taken them...taken him and tear them apart when she took him back.

But for now, she was drowning in the memory of scattering him into molecules, a wound that had apparently never healed right, a grief and guilt never properly dealt with, suppressed until now.

The fresh layers of guilt didn't help. They'd both been busy. She'd barely seen him at all while setting up the mutant community support network with Karai. Knowing that is was both needed and already allowing people, neglected and targeted by the law, to help each other, hadn't eased the sting of it proving useless in helping her own family. And now, while she'd been working on it, she'd lost more. She'd lost everything.

Could she have prevented it? Or at least discovered it sooner? What could have been different if she hadn't allowed herself to be distracted?

As her thoughts remained trapped in what she recognized was a self-destructive cycle though she was helpless to stop it, something nagged at the edge of her mind. Not for the first time. But she'd been to busy to pay it any heed.

Now she was ready to grasp at anything to escape herself. Narrowing her focus, she attempted to zero in on whatever it was that demanded her attention.

Downstairs. In the lab.

Steeling herself against the self-pity that threatened to consume her, she willed her limbs to move, forcing herself to her feet. The further she got the easier it became. She was almost walking normally by the time she stepped into the lab.

Instead of being pulled to any of Donnie's normal work stations, she felt herself drawn to a dusty old corner of forgotten and abandoned projects.

Powering up an old, homemade laptop that she hadn't used since she was a teenager, she logged in and waited expectantly. An alert popped up, the emergency alarm from one of their old bolt holes. How long had that been active?

It didn't matter. She needed to be there. Now. Compelled by a sudden sense of urgency, she was already on her feet and running for the door.

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey's lungs burned. He'd never run so fast in his entire life. But every time his body wanted to slow, the image from his phone of Denim, sick and wounded, prompted a fresh burst of speed.

A small voice in the back of his mind kept asking distracting questions. How had she ended up in one of their old crash pads? Who had treated her injuries? Why had he been sent that message? These things should probably concern him and if he'd been Leo or Donnie or maybe even Raph, it might have.

But he couldn't care about anything else, just getting to her as quickly as possible. So, as was his habit, he ignored all the niggling thoughts that kept bugging at him.

With a final dash he hit the end of the tunnel, emerging into the abandoned subway station. Thanks to the picture, he knew where to look for her.

 _Assuming this isn't a really obvious trap._

 _Shut up, brain._

Rushing towards the train car, he nearly did a face plant, tripping over himself into a halt.

"April?"

She dropped from her levitating float, hair tumbling down around her face. The glowing, blue light faded from her eyes.

"What are you...?"

"Your apartment. Go now!"

Like Leo's command voice, he'd learned never to hesitate or question when April spoke in that tone. It had taken years, in both cases, but he'd learned.

Turning on his heel, he spun about and fled the car. He needed to get home.

TSOTCTSOTC

K76 kicked the door open, breaking the deadbolt off on the door frame. He was losing himself more every second and there was no time for subtlety. The door bounced off the wall before clacking back shut, or as shut as it ever would be without repair, while he staggered into the apartment.

He couldn't even recall why he'd taken her in the first place or what he'd been trying to get her to do. It had seemed so important before, but now it was all slipping away, impossible to hold onto. An oddly familiar sensation. All that remained was an overwhelming desire to complete his mission. Get her to safety.

He deposited her on the floor of her living room as gently as his jerky limbs would allow. She was ill. Should he call for help?

His control slipped further. He was losing it. Here needed to get out of here now. Before it was too...

His body stopped responding to his mind's commands. He was trapped and helpless as his hand closed around the pistol that he'd taken from her earlier. The hand was badly damaged from attacking K2, but still functional enough to pull a trigger.

 _Stop resisting or the woman will be put down._ His handler's message scrolled across his vision.

Her eyes widened as his trembling arm raised the firearm, pointing the barrel directly at her face.

No! No! No!

 _Stop! Fight it!_

What? Kyle?

 _Protect her. You can and you will._

Yes. Somehow he...they would fight this. They would save her. Save Denni. No giving up. Not yet. No matter what, she had to survive this.

TSOTCTSOTC

She'd ignored the demon possessing fragments of her husband's soul, talking to him as if the machine didn't control him, didn't exist. She should have been more careful... Although, given their past, perhaps it was ironic that she'd find herself staring down the barrel of a gun, with Kyle at the trigger.

Yet the cyborg was in conflict again, Kyle in there struggling for control. The gun wavered, but it must've looked like exactly what it was to Michelangelo when he broke down the door.

He was mask on, chucks in hand, membranes over the eyes, scowl on the set of his shadowed face, in a state she'd never seen before. And she'd been with him for more than one battle. They'd been through multiple hells. But he'd never looked like this.

Mikey had the surprise entrance to his advantage and didn't hesitate to spring into the air, launching his attack before the door hit the carpet.

That's when Denim realized, his chucks had been converted. Kusarigama aimed for Kyle's throat.

"Mikey! Don't kill him!"

As the cyborg's attention shifted to block the incoming attack she snatched his gun-holding wrist, snapping it between her fingers. Her heart clenched as Not-Kyle cried out, his fingers parting from the weapon.

"Mikey, please!" As Denim screamed, the membranes over Mikey's eyes evaporated.

"Huh?"

In the split second he looked to her, seeming to abandon his attack mid-flight, he stumbled into Kyle. But it was the cyborg that instantly had a knife at Michelangelo's throat.

She couldn't breathe, tears streaking her cheeks as her eyes met Mikey's shocked blues. "Kyle, please. Let him go. Please. _Please_. We can still make this right, but I need you to fight that thing controlling you."

The blade knicked Mikey's flesh, a drop of scarlet trickling down his neck. But Michelangelo didn't take his eyes off her.

"No! NO!" Her hands were shaking as she lifted the gun, aiming for Kyle's head.

"I love you, Denni." The cyborg's features distorted, his brow furrowing as the lines of his face mimicked one of Kyle's expressions. But the machine was fighting back, his body beginning to jerk, the blade dangerously shifting out of control.

Everything was blurry, but Mikey's heartbreak, his confusion was so clear. Fear gripped her as she hung on the edge of a terrible choice, her breath hitching as her mind flickered with scenes of two very different outcomes...

One where she let Kyle go and he finally found peace, with Sarah...

And another where Michelangelo was gone and her existence became the numb, bleak survival it had been before him. One where she was raising Alli and the new baby alone, looking at not one but two faces of the men she loved...

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she willed herself the strength to do what she had to. Because there wasn't really a decision to make, there's was only Kyle's peace in the balance and her life with Mikey awaiting her. She eased out a shuddering breath as the blade dipped into Michelangelo's neck. She blinked away her tears, setting remnants of her best friend in her sights.

"Do it, Denni." Kyle begged, "I can't hold it much longer. Do it, Denim take the sho-"

The gun fired, the sound splitting the room, the recoil a jolt straight in her heart. The cyborg's eye was gone the back of his head splattered on the wall. He crumbled to the floor and Michelangelo lunged for her.

She couldn't hear him over her own sobbing. But his arms were around her. She wanted to open her eyes, to drive out the horrific images, the instant replay of the last fragments of Kyle- dead again, by her doing. But his body was there, a heap on the floor, blood everywhere, pooling around his head.

She lowered her face to Mikey's shoulder, weeping. Her body shook as Mikey scooped her up, speaking to her but she couldn't stop crying to hear him.

He did something on his phone, said something into it then carried her down the hall toward their bathroom. He dropped the stopper in the drain and turned the faucet on, carrying her around as he went to the kitchen and pulled a pre-filled syringe from the fridge. She was exhausted, her body shutting down, her limbs heavy, her muscles trembling and seizing intermittently. He made his way back down the hall with the syringe between his teeth, set her on the bathroom floor and injected her with it, like he'd been practicing all his life.

He wasn't talking anymore, a frown on the set of his mouth as he reached for the hem of her sundress, holding her up with one hand while working it up over her head with his other. Her eyes were fixed on his as she lay limp in his gentle hold. He lifted her and turned to place her in the tub when she tried to unclasp her bra. She struggled with it, her muscles still weak from the long stretch without meds. Seeing what she was trying to do he helped her.

The water was hot and she began to shiver as he lowered her in it. She let her head roll towards the wall, fixing her gaze on the cracked tile.

"You're cold, Blue Jeans, we've got to warm you up." His voice became clear as her sobs subsided, leaving her rung out on the inside, raw and guilty. "I'd call mom or D, to fix your arm and figure out what to do- but uh- they're gone too."

Gone.

She blinked.

The cracks in the tile where spread out like overlapping branches and she wondered when the smaller pieces would shatter and fall apart...


	64. Chapter 63

April stepped through the broken doorway, making a mental note of the tools and hardware she'd need to repair it.

She couldn't help wondering why she'd felt the need to bring up the tarp from her trunk until she was completely through the threshold. It looked like Denim, not Mikey, had handled the cyborg. Unfolding the tarp, she covered up the mess.

It sounded like they were in the bathroom. Not knowing what state Denim would be in, but not having a good feeling about it, she approached with caution.

Gently pushing the partially open door inward, she peeked her head in. Mikey held Denim, wrapped in a fluffy orange towel, as he sat on the floor.

Denim appeared to be in shock, staring outward without seeming to see anything. Mikey rubbed her back as he kept looking over her injuries with dismay that bordered on panic.

April lifted Denim's bathrobe off the hook on the bathroom door and handed it to Mikey who suddenly seemed to notice she was there. Not good. As oblivious as Mikey could seem sometimes, he always saw more than anyone ever guessed. He should have known she was here.

He looked up at her with pleading eyes and she drew in a sharp breath as she was struck anew at Donnie's absence. He and Phoenix were needed.

Before she could fall back into that trap, she fixed her focus on the task at hand. Helping Denim.

"Mikey, she needs a hospital."

He blinked in surprise for a moment before cringing in embarrassment. "Right. I forget you guys can do that sometimes."

As he started slipping Denim into her robe, she fished her car keys out of her pocket. Under almost any other circumstances, she would never trust him to drive it without doing something ill advised. But he'd be careful with this cargo.

"I'll clean up here." She reached out, offering him the keys.

He accepted them before lifting Denim up off the floor, making her seem as light as paper. Maybe she was. Despite the pregnancy, she seemed to be losing, not gaining weight. She shouldn't have looked so frail.

"About the cyborg...she called him Kyle. I think he might be...might have been Alli's dad."

She nodded even as she winced internally. That put a he'll of a dark spin on her earlier observation. "We have a deep freezer at my place. We can keep him there until she's ready to decide what she wants to do."

He managed a wan, very un-Mikey-like smile. "Thanks April."

And then he was gone.

With a sigh, she picked up the soiled and torn sundress from the bathroom floor. It might be salvageable. But the real problem was in the living room.

Pulling out her phone, she headed back there.

Karai answered on the first ring. "Any news?"

She looked down at the square of tarp. "Yes. We have Denim back, but I think we should hold off on telling Alli. Mikey took her to the hospital."

"Right." Karai sounded subdued as they all knew why she needed to fall back on conventional medicine.

"I need you to swing by Mikey and Denim's place."

"Why?" Karai's voice took on its more usual tone.

"I need help cleaning up a body."

TSOTCTSOTC

"Help. Please. Somebody help."

Mikey burst into the doors to emergency, carrying Denim in his arms. The whole thing had a very uncool sense of deja vou to it. At least she was conscious this time, if unresponsive.

He hated seeing her like this. She looked so injured and sick on top of the shellshock. So naturally, it was their turn to be seen forty five minutes later.

He didn't know how humans stood it. Personally, he'd stick with the awesome mutagenic regime, the bro who knew everything and the mom with magic healing mojo. Too bad he couldn't give any of those to Denim right now.

The doc came in just as Nurse Not-Speaking-to-Him was installing Denim's IV.

"Hi. I'm Dr. Adler."

Mikey blinked in surprise as she held out a hand towards him, while pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose with her clipboard-holding, other hand, making her look extra librariany with her blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun. At some point, he must've stopped expecting people to be nice to him. That made him kind of sad.

Pasting a smile on his face, he shook her offered hand. "Mikey Hamato. And this is Denim Sanders."

"So what are you guys in for?" Dr. Adler smiled at her own attempt at humor, but let it slip away when no one reciprocated.

Mikey rubbed the back of his head. He'd been trying to sort that out since he'd gotten Denim back. "I'm not sure. I think her arm and ribs are hurt. Maybe broken. And she's got bandages on her neck too, so something is probably wrong there. I don't know if her, or the baby are hurt anywhere else. She's not ready to talk about it."

The doctor stared at him for a moment before responding. "I'm sorry. How did this happen?"

He frowned, not sure what he should say. It was tempting to blurt out the truth, but experience had taught him that doing so typically resulted in not being believed. He was used to not being taken seriously, but being blown off by Denim's doc when she needed medical help would probably be bad. Maybe say less. He could do that. Probably.

"Someone took her and hurt her. She came home like this."

Dr. Adler pursed her lips. "Did you report it to the police?"

He nodded absently. "They didn't find her though."

The doc sighed and shook her head. "My brother-in-law is on the force. I know these cases are only taken seriously by a handful of officers. People who commit career suicide by caring."

"Your brother-in-law?"

She nodded as she moved to examine Denim. "These ribs shouldn't be wrapped. It can lead to infection."

Mikey threw up his hands. "I didn't..."

The nurse cleared her throat and the doc wrinkled her nose. "Right. Mr. Hamato, could you please step outside?"

"But..." He started, then stopped when Denim really spoke for the first time since...since it had happened.

"No. Please."

Dr. Adler rested a reassuring hand on Denim's shoulder. "Just for a moment. Then he'll be right back. We have to do this."

Mikey forced his features into what he hoped was an encouraging expression. "I won't be far and I'll come right back."

She nodded miserably and he kissed her temple before reluctantly stepping out into the hallway.

Listening had never been his strong suit, but his dad had never given up on teaching him, so now the skill was there. With a deep breath he closed his eyes and focused on the sounds around him, systematically eliminating any that didn't matter until only the voices in the room remained.

The doc was speaking. "I'm sorry, but in situations like these, I'm required to ask. Did Mr. Hamato do this to you?"

They believed he'd hurt her like that? His eyes burned with unshed tears and he thought he might be sick.

After a stunned pause, Denim's response was low and furious. "What? Absolutely not! He would never. This was..." her voice grew small and unsure "...this was done by someone I used to know. Please bring Mikey back."

"Mr. Hamato."

Mikey's eyes snapped open at the doc's call and he saw her poking her head out into the hallway.

"You can come back..."

Her eyes widened in surprise as he wooshed past her in a green blur.

"...in."

The doctor turned her attention to the nurse. "We'll need to get the makeshift bandaging off and I'm putting in an order for x-rays of the possible breaks and an ultrasound for the baby."

The nurse scowled as she started on the rib bindings. "If that's the father, insurance won't cover it."

The doctor grimaced and turned to Mikey. "Can you afford to pay out of pocket?"

Mikey's heart sank. He was pretty sure they couldn't. If only Donnie or mom were here. Everything would be ok. "We'll find a way."

The doctor frowned and turned back to the nurse, signing something on her clipboard and handing the paper over. "X-rays only."

Mikey started to protest as the nurse left until the doctor quietly shushed him.

"It's no ultrasound, but it's the best I can do, without telling anyone. Fortunately, I'm terrible about putting things away when I'm done with them." Out of her pocket, she pulled a tube of something and a little rectangular box with a microphone thingy attached by a wire.

Pulling the robe open over Denim's abdomen, the doc squirted some goo on her belly and started moving the microphone over it while glancing nervously at the curtain-covered door. Everything sounded like scratchy feedback until, there was suddenly a rapid, beating noise.

"Heartbeat is strong."

The thumping sound was so fast. It reminded of a time, back at April's farmhouse when they'd been hiding out after the Kraang invaded. He'd snuck over to a neighbor's barn, several miles away, after learning that their dog had puppies. When he'd picked one up, he'd been surprised by how quickly it's tiny heart had pounded.

He'd asked Donnie and between all the science blah blahs, he'd gotten that small critter's heats beat fast. He'd always liked to think that meant more heart for the little guys.

 _Keep strong kiddo._

His hand curled around Denim's and he could feel her grip tighten around it in response as she released a relieved sigh.

The doc, tucked her device away and smiled. "We'll get you fixed up and everything is gonna be just fine."

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim woke up tired. There was a horrible ache in the center of her chest, the damned muscle hurt with every breath. She'd rubbed her sternum with the heel of her palm while scrubbing the bathroom counter with her free hand. When she finished that she took to vacuuming, with one hand across her chest, trying to hold in something she felt but couldn't name.

Then she moved to the kitchen, facing the labels on every can good, labeling the white sugar, the brown, and the powder, before organizing her spice rack in alphabetical order. Her hands were shaking by the time she stopped scrubbing the faucet handles with a toothbrush. She'd paused long enough to drink the bland protein supplement and inject herself in her bruised arms.

From there she'd organized Alli's toys, by type and theme, then her clothes in color order before starting on her own, then making it to Mikey's, grading them from lightest to darkest shade of orange. The entire time the pain began to spread out, worst in the center, then branching out to wrap around her sternum. Her throat hurt so much she felt the air moving through it.

When she ran out of things to clean she felt dirty. The sun was setting outside their bedroom window as she climbed into the shower, scrubbing her skin until it was bright pink. She washed her hair twice, rubbed soap over her small belly but ignored the flutter tickling her within, instead turned her back to the water stream aiming for her shoulder blades. It hurt a little less for what felt like a minute, then the water ran cold.

She wrapped herself in a towel, drying off and mindlessly coating her skin with lotion. Reaching for a cotton slip she tugged it over her head, feeling the muscles in her back pinch. She shivered and sighed as she reached for her fluffy pink robe and the bunny slippers Mikey bought her last Valentines Day. She grabbed the matching stuffed rabbit that sat on their bed and clutched it to her chest. If she could just squeeze out the pain without hurting someone. If she could- her breath was stuck, pressure building in endless waves that had her wanting to bury her head in a pillow and scream.

The front door opened quietly, loud enough to let her know he was home, but softer than usual, letting her know, he knew she wasn't feeling great. How he knew, she didn't have the energy to ponder. He didn't call for her right away, something else odd for him.

The cinch around her sternum tightened until she choked back a sob. But she shoved away any thoughts, or visuals, the memories begging to surface, she suppressed the joy and the horror that was her life.

She needed to get out, away from it, but had no place to go, she needed release but none was available. _Air. I need air._

She climbed the short staircase that led to the small sunroom. They'd cleaned and decorated it with a single gliding chair and cheerful rainbow-colored oval rug. The skyline surrounding her was a warm swirl of blues and oranges, washed out by city lights. It was cooler there, air seeping in through the joints where the glass met the frame. It was peaceful, and it was somewhat quiet, save for the buzz of the city on the other side.

Fixing her gaze on a high, full moon she let her numbness consume her, only vaguely aware that she didn't answer Mikey when he appeared in her periphery. She was tired. There was no strength for words. Words changed nothing, they couldn't undo the mistakes, her mistakes. They wouldn't alter the outcome of her choices, they wouldn't erase the hurt.

Mikey squat down before her, and she didn't have the will to shoo him back for his safety, but on some level ordered herself not to touch him. She couldn't risk- not him. Just. Not. Him.

"Denim." He stroked her cheek. "How can I help?"

He couldn't. This wasn't fixable, it just was what it was. Over. Done. Final. She killed Kyle, not once but twice. Twice.

Mikey's thumb stroked beneath her eye. She blinked, her gaze straight ahead to the green of his face but avoiding his eyes. There was so much hurt within her, she couldn't take his too.

His hand slid through her long wet locks and he guided her to him, kissing the top of her head. "I know you loved him. I'm sorry, Denim. I'm so sorry."

She sucked in a breath, his words- the sentiment- it was a blow that forced the sob from her. _Tell him. He needs to know. He deserves to hear it. Despite everything that you've done, and all that's happened, be sure he understands this._

Sniffling and gasping as she tried to stop herself from weeping, he shushed her, but she leaned back making sure she didn't touch him. When his glowing blue eyes met hers there were tears in them and she thought there could never be a more pure soul than Michelangelo.

She lifted her hands to her face, wiping away her tears but never looked away from him. With every breath she thought she'd speak, but just the thought of forming words was exhausting. She wasn't ready.

To tell him was to speak something she thought she knew not long after they met. She just never expected to have to make a choice where the outcome was the end of one of them. Her gaze left him, returning to the darkening skyline.

His brow furrowed in her periphery as he slowly stood. "I'll make you something to eat."

He left as quietly as he came.

TSOTCTSOTC

Mikey'd never seen Denim so, lost. He wasn't even sure how to help her, what to say or do. He stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up at her unmoving silhouette. Who did he know that had lost a husband? _Oh!_ He pulled out his phone and searched the speed-dial. He knew someone for just about any situation.

"Michelangelo? Are you okay?" His serpent sister answered.

"Not really, Dusa. I think I need your help."

Medusa slithered up to the roof of her parent's apartment building, purposely not looking at Leo and Karai's door, her parents door, her _mother's_ door, as she made her way up the stairs. She found Denim where Mikey had said she would, staring out into the city, the setting sun setting everything ablaze. In her arms she held a stuffed bunny rabbit, like a little child trying to hug away the hurt of a scolding.

"Hey Denim," she said gently, drawing her long body up behind her in a twist. "Michelangelo said you might want some company."

Denim's entire body was wrung out, her lungs wet and heavy from crying. She heard Medusa, knew she needed to say something. But what? She blinked wet lashes, and opened her mouth, but no words came at first.

Her breaths were shallow sounds with the occasional hiccup and sniffle of someone who'd cried as hard as she had. She leaned back in the chair more, letting the back of it support her head. "I'm- I-"

Medusa didn't rush her, and Denim was actually glad for her quiet company. It wasn't that she didn't want Michelangelo, or that she couldn't talk to him, because she more than wanted him, but she couldn't talk to him. Not yet.

"I-" she licked her lips and swallowed, as her eyes welled up again. "I don't- I can't-" her chest constricted and she clutched the stuffed rabbit, desperate to force out the ache. "He deserved better than this." Her throat ached like a rock was lodged in it. She kept her gaze on the beautiful paper moon above, as her voice fell to a whisper. "He deserved better than me."

"I doubt it," Medusa said, her soft voice barely more than hiss. She reached in the small bag that she had with her, and took something out of it. "I want to show you something."

Denim looked at her emptily and the snake opened her hands. In one, she held a photo graph of herself and skinny lizard mutant, in the other was a set of wedding rings.

Denim's brow furrowed as she tried to recall what she knew of Medusa's past. At some point she'd heard that Mikey's sister had been married, but knowing how talking about Kyle made her feel Denim had never asked what happened. This however was a clear invitation to talk... to someone who might actually understand. "Your husband?"

Medusa held the photo out to Denim. "His name was Razz." She smiled fondly. "He was very good at razzing people. That's how he got his name." Her eyes drifted from Denim to the photograph. "I met him when I was eight. I knew him most of my life He taught me how to fight." She raised her black eyes to her sister-in-law. "He taught my entire family how to fight. Even my mother."

They met as children, just like me and Kyle. He taught her to fight, the way Kyle's dad taught us to shoot. Denim's eyes watered as a sympathetic smile pressed the corners of her mouth. "To have known him practically all of your life, for him to have taught you and your family how to defend yourselves, he must have been truly special."

Medusa nodded. "He was." She sighed. "He made some pretty big mistakes, and had to prove himself." Her smile broadened, looking almost frightening in her repitilian face. "But he did. Many, many times over." She opened her hand again, to show the rings. "These were my mother's from...before she died. Both Razz and I had little fingers, so we were able to wear them. He wore the band, and I wore the diamond." Looking down at the thoughtfully, she added, "We were very lucky to have rings. I've not met another mutant couple where both of them had rings."

Denim stared at the rings, visions of her own courthouse wedding blurry, only because she wanted them to be. Her chest tightened as she struggled with the ache in her heart. To remember them now, after what she'd done to Kyle not once, but twice. _Twice_. How did anyone kill the man they loved at all let alone more than once! She looked away, fixing her gaze on the rainbow colors of the throw rug at her feet. Her brow furrowed as a thought wiggled its way free. "Did you say your mother died?"

Medusa blinked at the abrupt change of subject. "I did," she affirmed. "That's what she calls it. She was captured by the Kraang, and when she escaped with us, her previous family thought she was dead. She always said that set her free, so in all honesty, she was dead." Medusa laughed, a silibated breath. "Why?"

Denim rubbed her face. "I don't know. It caught my attention when you mentioned it." She exhaled deep, her shoulders sinking as she leaned into the chair for support. "It just reminds me how much I don't know about Mikey's family... your family."

Denim ran her good hand over her slight bump. "I didn't think there could ever be anything worse than losing Kyle." Her lip quivered as her throat threatened to close. "For the half second I thought I would lose Michelangelo I couldn't see a future at all. That, _that_ possibility was the most terrified I've been in my life, and with his life in cyborg-Kyle's hands-" Her brow furrowed as she struggled with the impossibility of the broken version of her husband. "I ended up killing Kyle not once, Medusa. But twice. _Twice_." She clamped her eyes shut as pressure grew in her chest. "Why couldn't I have them both? Why couldn't I save them both?"

Putting the photo and rings away, she ignored Denim's last questions. The snake was never one to indulge in self-pity, and did not help others do it either. "Perhaps the reason you don't know much about Michelangelo's family," she ventured, "is because you haven't asked." She looked toward the door of the sunroom, as if expecting someone to walk through. "I think you'll find that Ali knows a great deal about that half of the family. Because she asks."

Medusa then reached out and took Denim's hand, placing it on top of the swell of her stomach, where her little half-mutant currently rested. "From what I have seen," she said, her voice guarded, "There are things much greater than losing one's spouse. I, for one, am glad I haven't experienced them."

The corners of Denim's mouth tipped up a bit. "We've been lucky so far. Our little someone is strong." Her brow furrowed as she looked at her serpent sister. "You don't have to answer this and I don't mean to be nosey, or rude if it seems so. But, were you there... when Razz..." She found the word stuck in her mouth, unable to speak and uncertain of her question. Maybe that was too much. Maybe she shouldn't have asked that... but Medusa had come seeming prepared to talk about him. Did that include her loss?

The snake mutant nodded. "He was standing right next to me," she said. "We were fighting together. We almost always fought together, if we were in the same group. Battalion I guess you'd call it? Company?" She laughed, as if she'd told a joke.

Denim forced a feeble smile. "Kyle and I were a team too. I'm sure when we enlisted they could've separated us and paired us up with someone else, but we were a near unstoppable team." She swallowed. "But all it takes is a split second and one mistake." She sighed. It had been Kyle's fight that she'd joined, it wasn't hers, not then. Her little one wiggled and squirmed. It was definitely her fight now, and she wasn't sorry for her part in he war, what had been gained was worth the fight. But was it worth the loss? Maybe. Maybe it all played out the way it was meant to, because she was with the right guy for the first time in her life. "I'm sorry for your loss, Medusa."

Medusa shook her head. "I've done my grieving," she said. "I'm grateful I had someone to love me. When I was little, I didn't think that would ever happen." She opened her mouth wide, revelaing her fangs, a frightening gesture. "Who wants to love this?" she asked. "And my sister was beautiful. She had someone love her at first sight. So did my mother. That made me even more grateful for Razz."

Until recently Medusa's presence _had_ unnerved Denim. The fact that the serpent mutant could swallow her whole did not warrant explanation. But Medusa wasn't entirely right about herself either. She was a beautiful shade of glossy green that Denim had often resisted touching. Her slight smile broadened a bit. "I don't know about anyone not wanting to love you. It seems you're seeing Horace on the regular now. You never know, love might have stricken you twice."

"Humans are fickle things," she said, the tip of her tail waggling slightly in the middle of her coils. "Just because we see each other regularly doesn't mean one day he won't wake up and realize that I'm not a human in a snake suit." She frowned. "It happened awfully to Arcos last year. We were all frightened it would happen to Michelangelo with you."

Denim deflated as if Medusa had knocked the wind from her. Rather than respond right away she let the words settle inside her, making an effort to see and understand what Medusa was saying. It wasn't personal, it was logic. In many ways the risks in a mutant-human relationship were great for both parties. Kyle and Sara were evidence of that. Even though the mutant party was more likely to accidentally physically harm their partner, their human counterparts still had more rights, and courts almost always sided with them in domestic cases. Still, after all that she and Michelangelo had been through just to be together, it stung. Denim lowered her head a bit, and her voice came out lower than she expected. "I see. Do you still feel that way?"

"Not at all," Medusa said matter-of-factly. "None of us do." The aftermath of Arcos losing Jennifer, in such a callous way, had marred all of their perceptions of human-mutant relationships. Arcos had been heartbroken, something that had truly surprised his entire family. None of them had realized how attracted to he was to her. And then, when they had all urged Mikey to break up with Denim, he'd been just as heartbroken, and none of them could stand it. She put her thin hand on Denim's knee. "Just like you don't think I'm going to eat Alli anymore." She smiled.

The tears that rushed Denim's eyes when she chuckled we're unexpected. "No, you're right. I definitely don't think that. It seems silly now that I ever did. Alli loves you so much, and I know without doubt that she's safe with you." Maybe it was exhaustion or the twist and turns of so many emotions at once, but as she spoke the pressure grew and she struggled with the sob threatening to break free. "We're lucky to have been invited into such a special family." She wiped her eyes and sighed. "I'm not Zoe or anything but I get good vibes about Horace and if anybody deserves to be loved Medusa, you certainly do."

Medusa chuckled, still only a breathy sound. "I get good vibes from him, too. So far, he's been sticking around." In fact, she needed to return his texts. She was holding back doing so. "But whomever loves me is in danger," she said quietly. "Just like whomever loves Michelangelo is in danger." She blinked her inner lid, her black eyes clouding for a moment. "That's part of the deal."

Denim understood the dangers of their relationship all too well, though if their first year together had been any indication, Mikey being with her caused them as much a danger as her being with him. But that was because she'd fought for mutant rights, the backlash of which had been another side effect of accepting mutant-kind.

But for Mikey, Medusa and the rest of their unique family the fight had been and would be never ending. How much had they suffered and lost for the thin victory that was their basic rights? Because it was a frail thing at best. Free to try to form as normal a life as possible in the open, yet knocked down at every turn.

Denim rubbed her tiny belly. Yes it was almost a lie, mutant rights. It was on paper but scarcely enforced. She and Michelangelo couldn't even marry. The law wouldn't recognize their union. No wonder Medusa had a private ceremony.

What had become Denim's normal was still an old school society's unacceptable. Hate crimes against them were a constant concern. But her relationship with Michelangelo was part of her now. He was a piece of who she was and had become, and someone new would be born of that. As it always had been, they were worth fighting for.

She reached out for Medusa's thin hand. "It is dangerous, but I've never been sorry for choosing to stay... even after today."

TSOTCTSOTC

Casey dragged his ass into work, tired, sore and irritable after the weekend from hell. Stopping in the break room, he dug through the OSHA-required employee medical stash for a couple packets of aspirin, which he tore open and swallowed dry, a skill he'd perfected over the years. Then he started a pot of coffee so strong you could stand a spoon up on it, despite having a stash of energy drinks in his desk drawer. Who needed sleep when they had enough caffeine?

"Jones, it's about time...holy crap what happened to your face?" Gabrielle 'don't call me Gabby' Marsh nearly dropped the stack of files that she was carrying after getting a good look at him upon entering the break room.

He grinned, then winced when it hurt. "Hey G. Just had a crazy game of hockey with some friends over the weekend."

She frowned, though it wasn't the first time she had skeptically accepted his flimsy explanation for showing up to work black and blue. "What'd you do? Block a puck with your face?"

He chuckled without humor. "Something like that."

He wished it were only that. But his best bud's girl and kid were taken along with Little Mama's rugrat. It had never sat well with him when bad dudes were doing evil shit in his city. When they were doing it to kids, they had a beat down coming, courtesy of Casey Jones. Because this was family they'd be getting that with interest, assuming he could find the bastards.

As he couldn't and kinda knew it in advance as these dudes sounded like they were above the pay grade of his usual fare, he'd chosen to spend his free time with Raph, pounding every lowlife they could find. You knew things were pretty hopeless when he was the one breaking down and asking what Leo's real plan was. Raph hadn't taken that well, nor his offer of refuge from having to go home to an empty apartment. But even when Casey had hit his limit, Raph had opted to keep prowling the streets.

He understood the need to stay in motion. His own sleepless few hours of rest had only left him exhausted and seething. Knowing that the psychos who raised Zoe had a couple of innocent kids, not just any kids but the kids of his two favorite people, made it impossible to relax.

While Raph was a given, his friendship with Phoenix tended to surprise everyone. It wasn't just that she was a total MILF, if a bit older than his usual, an opinion that he valued his life enough not to say out loud. She filled a place in him that his had been empty since his mom had walked out on him and his sister as kids. She'd needed to find herself and it turned out that wherever that was wasn't anywhere near him and his sis. Which was fine. They hadn't needed her anyway and if not for his dad's lack of oversight while trying to work and raise two kids, he might not have been able to meet his extended family and save the world with them like a bajillion times. Even so, hanging with Little Mama made home feel whole, an opinion he valued his pride enough not to say out loud.

"Yo Casey, anybody home?"

He blinked, finding G's face a few inches from his, brows knit in consternation.

"What?"

"You've been staring at the wall for like five minutes. Did you get any sleep at all?"

Nope. He must've spaced. "I'm fine. What were you saying?"

She watched with concern as he poured the pot of coffee into a soup bowel with a handle. "I was saying that you shouldn't be so competitive. If it's just a game, why does it look like you need a hospital?"

He shrugged. "Casey Jones don't lose." And she knew it as she used her case manager powers to assign him the kids and families that most desperately needed a win.

She rolled her eyes. "Referring to yourself in the third person, still weird."

He grinned and have her a wink, wincing when it hurt. "You know you love it."

She snorted and shoved a stack of files into his free hand before heading out with one last nugget of advice. "Whatever, just ease up on the hockey. You aren't pro anymore so quit trying to destroy yourself."

He huffed out a breath as he trudged over to his office. He'd only been minor league pro for one season before suffering a career-ending injury. Phoenix had set him to rights, but he couldn't go back without raising a bunch of questions best left unanswered.

It was fine. Pro-athlete was too high profile for his family and night job anyway. Besides, he liked his life the way it was. His hockey scholarship, along with Donnie and April's tutoring, had gotten him his degree and his one season pro gave him the nest egg needed to set his dad up with the hole-in-the-wall bar he'd always wanted to run. He liked his work, having had leanings towards the career ever since a social worker had gone above and beyond to help his dad keep him and his sis, not that he would have ever owned the aspiration as a kid. It was a good job and he made a difference, saving kids and families, inside the system by day when he could and outside the system by night when he couldn't. As long as no one connected him with the hockey mask-wearing badass, it was all good.

The time he put into his job, days, nights and weekends didn't leave much time for relationships, making most attempts short-lived failures. But that might've been a blessing in disguise. Finding someone who'd be cool with his life and family was a shot in the dark at best and he wasn't willing to give up them or his vigilante prowling. Better to be free.

He dropped the files onto the heaping disaster that was his desk, April's eye would be twitching if she ever caught sight of it, and plopped down in his chair.

Under a stack of paper, he could see his phone blinking with a message. Bracing himself for more legalese stonewalling from lawyers or angry threats from jerks he had to protect his case-kids from, he was pleasantly surprised to hear his dad's voice. Dad was so proud of his job, he preferred calling his work phone instead of his cell. If he'd made it to his desk on time, he would have caught the call.

The pleasant surprise soured with the message's content. He didn't want to be reminded to call his sister for her birthday. Beyond the awkward, stilted birthday calls their dad insisted on, they hadn't spoken since she'd gone away to college.

Nothing had been right since that bitter fight. Somehow her anti-war protest had evolved into blaming mutants for the whole conflict and all its collateral damage. He still didn't get what she had against them, but neither of them were willing to budge on their stance and so the family cold war went on with the occasional short armistice at their dad's insistence. He'd call her later.

Sucking in a deep breath, he deleted the message and flipped open the first file. But all he could see were Anton and Yuuta. Missing. Damn, today was gonna suck.


	65. Chapter 64

TSOTCTSOTC

Hamato Yuuta watched as the new doctor, or what he assumed was a doctor due to his white lab coat, approached the table he was strapped to. Just like the others, he had a clipboard in his hands, though the sign language interpreter was not with him. It wasn't as if she did all much anyway. She expected Yuuta to sign as if he were fluent in it, and often signed things he did not understand. She would get frustrated when he did not understand her, just as those who did not sign did. It took all of his willpower not to collapse in a stream of tears in front of them. He had only done it once, and vowed never to do it again.

"I didn't peg you for a crier," the man with the eyes the same color as his fathers had said. Yuuta's face was wet with his tears, the fur dripping in some places. He'd laid down on the hard, cold concrete floor of his enclosure, and let the tears come, sometimes sobbing in a squeak, sometimes silent. "But then again, I didn't peg your mother as one either, and she's been doing the same thing as you."

He had growled, deep in his throat, in way he'd never done before. It surprised him he could make that sound, so much like his father's. Baring his teeth, he approached the front of the cage. His mother was crying. He'd never seen her cry. He'd seen her tear up, her dark green eyes wet with anger or frustration or laughter, but he'd never seen her cry. He knew she could, because he'd heard his brothers teasing her about it. But then, they teased Aries about it, too, and Yuuta was quite sure that the ram had never cried a day in his life.

But these people were making his mother cry.

He would make every one of them pay, pay for every tear his mother let drip from her eyes.

But he couldn't make them pay at the moment. He was immobile, strapped spread eagle, naked, on a steel table in a cold, sterile room. They had already come at him with something that looked like a big cotton swab. A nurse pulled back his lip toward his ear to reveal his gums. His finger was too far away for Yuuta to bite, but he snapped down on the swab when they put it in his mouth, breaking it in two. He spit it out, hitting the nurse in the face. It fell to the floor as the nurse backed away, wiping his cheek with a look of disgust.

Another nurse had picked it up, placed it in a container, and then put it on the table. "12:22 pm, DNA acquired," she said into the air.

Then they'd taken out a scalpel, he knew that was what it was because his mother had some in her clinic bag. When he was tiny, he remembered cutting people open with it, and getting the white goo out of their bodies. He didn't have any of that on him, why would they bring out a scalpel?

When he discovered the reason, he howled in pain, a sound reminiscent of a hawk. The doctor cut him, again and again on all different parts of his body. He could not keep the tears from coming when he felt his fur wet with the bloods from the cuts. When the doctor was finished, he parted the skin on each laceration, he knew they were lacerations because his mother had told him many times when he was a tiny baby and went with her to clinic. "Clotting within normal human parameters," the doctor would say, and the nurse would write it down. Twice he said, "Possible hyper clotting," and once, "Possible hypo clotting."

The second time they'd taken him for testing, they'd pried his mouth open and put a metal mask on the inside of it, so he couldn't close it. Then they stuck a tube down his throat, so he gagged constantly. On a screen, he could see the insides of himself. They stopped the tube when it was about half way down his gullet.

"Malformed larynx," the doctor said. "Visually record, please."

Before they closed his mouth, they cut a section of gum out, but he had not cried. He wanted to, but he hadn't.

And now, the man with eyes like his father's squatted down before him, telling his mother was crying. He would make sure this man paid for that insult with his life, if it was the last thing he ever did.

TSOTCTSOTC

The video feed replayed Zoe's kills so many times she'd lost count. Her eyes burned and the entire back of her head ached. She didn't know how long she'd been strapped to the table, how long since Hun shoved the monitor in her face and left her. The only thing she knew at the moment was discomfort, exhaustion, and that her sole purpose was to kill whoever Hun told her to without question.

Somewhere out of her range of sight a door clicked. She recognized the stench of Hun's cologne before he spoke. "The doctor is busy at the moment, pet. But he sent the nurse here to get things started. Hun's boots click-clacked across the tile. He pushed back the monitor, his sunglasses striking a glare from the overhead lights. Zoe let out a tired groan as she squinted against the brightness. Hun snickered. "Don't worry, Zoe. You're reprogramming is almost complete, before you know it you'll be purrrrrfect."

He laughed as he stepped back, allowing a strange woman in scrubs to take his place. The woman never made eye contact as she wrapped the rubber tube around Zoe's bicep, seconds later thumping a vein to set an IV. Zoe closed her eyes, taking deep breaths as her heart began to race. What poison would they force into her? What now? Her mind was flooded with death, violence, blood and gore, so much it hurt to try to remember what she'd come for, how she'd gotten there, and why there was such a horrible ache in the center of her chest… like something or someone was missing.

She exhaled slow, opening her eyes as the stranger hung a glowing orange liquid on the IV stand, then reached down and opened the line. Whatever the serum was it trickled smoothly down the tube, seconds later hitting her vein. The searing heat was immediate, scorching her blood so that her back arched off the table, her mouth opened in silent cry. What new hell was this?

TSOTCTSOTC

Aries clomped up the stairs of his brother's apartment building, his hoof-like feet clicking with each step. His nostrils flared with each breath, and he secretly hoped someone would come out of their apartment to see what all the noise was about. Unfortunately, no one did. They probably all recognized his footsteps after so many years, and knew better.

He reached Raphael's apartment and banged on the door. it rattled on its hinges, then fell silent as he waited for the turtle to answer.

Raph hadn't shown up at work that day. Or the day before. Or the day before t hat. _Shit, he only works three nights a week, and he can't show up?_

At first, Aries thought he was going to be late, or come in drunk. But, on Thursday night, he hadn't shown up at all. A quick swing by his apartment showed it empty. A quick swing by Casey Jones' flat showed it empty too. It was rare that both were empty at the same time, so Aries suspected some poor soul or souls were going to be sore in the morning...and it wasn't going to be Raph or Casey.

 _Let him blow off some steam,_ he thought. It wasn't like Thursday nights were all that hopping anyway. But he hadn't shown up on Friday night either. Aires let it slide, he'd lost his wife and kid after all. Literally. Like someone who put down their glasses and couldn't find them again, they were lost. A pang of guilt stabbed at the ram. He should've been watching Anton and Yuuta closer...

But when he hadn't shown up on Saturday night, any guilt that Aries had went out the window, replaced by pure pissed-off-ed-ness. He'd had to bounce the entire night with that idiot from Manhattan who wasn't worth ten cents an hour, much less minimum wage. The ram mutant had broken up seven fights, and physically thrown three people out. Plus, he hadn't gotten laid all weekend.

And all of _that_ was Raph's fault.

He banged on the door again. "Open up!" he yelled. When he received no reply, he rattled the door to find it locked. "Open the door, Raph!" he yelled. He waited only a moment before shoving the door in on its hinges, and striding into the apartment.

Raphael sank into the worn couch, fitting in the dip the shape of his shell, while trying not to look around him. He didn't want to see Anton's Franklin turtle and favorite blanket placed haphazardly at the opposite end, in his son's spot. He didn't want to look at the framed picture of his family of three, the family he made with Zoe. He wanted to be furious with her and at first he had been.

Now, after three days of roughing up low-life's and coming up with nothing, Casey decides two-fights-in that he wants to call it a night, that he needs to be responsible and go home. Raph snorted. _Intending to work tomorrow with that bruised face. That'll go over well._

But when Casey offered to let him stay at his place there had been a stab to Raph's heart, and he knew he wouldn't sleep, wasn't done yet. He'd meant to clear his head... meant to back to Casey's when he was done... but he could only think about his loss, his failure to find his family, or even a clue to their whereabouts, and how he'd run out of places to... _run_... no, no look. He wasn't running, he didn't run. That wasn't who he was. That wasn't how he solved problems... doing crazy stupid spur of the moment shit like giving himself up to the enemy without a plan, without a failsafe... _He_ wouldn't do that.

He licked his lips still tasting hints of copper amid the whiskey. Nope. He wasn't a runner, even if the wind had felt good across his face as he tore over one rooftop after another.

He hadn't meant to go home. It's just that's where his feet took him after hours of searching and finding nothing... not even someone to hurt. He reached for the glass bottle, not feeling the burn anymore as he swallowed. For some reason even the numbness inside him wasn't taking the edge off tonight. Maybe it was because he didn't have to open his eyes to feel her there. He didn't need to see the damn girly pillows she'd decorated the couch and recliner with, or the stupid rug and matchy-girl curtains she bought to go with them, to be reminded of her. He'd been amused at the time, by April's influence on helping Zoe feel more human-ish. But that was the problem wasn't it? He took another draw off the bottle cursing the sting of his split lip.

So many damn stupid mistakes. They'd both made them. So many he'd repeat and not change a thing. But all of this... He inhaled deep intending to exhale slow and try to tame his emotions, but the scent of honeysuckle, the damn aroma that swept in his nostrils, down his throat and somehow bounced around inside him leaving him breathless, well it was fucking everywhere. _Guess that's what I get for not coming home in three days._

His ram brother appeared in the periphery of his blackened eye. Aries's entrance was noisy and forceful, but Raph didn't care, merely holding the bottle up to him. "Wan' sum?"

The place stank of alcohol, or was it just the turtle on the couch? Aries couldn't tell, but he winced as Raph held the bottle up to him. "No," he replied, snatching it away from Raph.

He tried to sit up, reaching for the booze. "Hey!"

Taking in the numerous other bottles that lay scattered about, Aries grimaced. "How much have you had to drink?" he asked. Turning back to his brother, he baa-ed slightly. "And how the hell did you get that black eye?" Raph didn't get black eyes. Not anymore.

Raph didn't answer his ram brother, instead climbed to his feet, reeling a bit at the head rush. "Whad-ya want? I don' need no lecture." He waved Aries off as he staggered toward the kitchen. "Get enougha that from Leo."

"No wonder," Aries said, waving his hand in front of his nose. "You smell like a nasty bar." He followed him to the kitchen, "You missed the whole weekend of work." The kitchen was just as messy as the living room, dishes and half eaten food lying about, along with several empty beer cans, seemingly placed for decoration.

Raph jerked open the fridge grabbing a beer from the door. "I don't care about work. I gotta find Zoe and Anton. They're... countin' on me to save'm." He snorted as he popped the cap and took a swig. "But I can't find shit. Literally. I've beat up half of New York and I can't find a hint of where they've taken her. And I don't know if they've got her in some kind of cell that cuts off our connection but I can't feel her neither. I can't find her, I can't find them, an Leo's so busy fighting with Karai he so ain't doin' shit to help me. An Mikey and Donnie are busy with Denim. An now Casey's given up." He flicked the cap in the trash. "An I dunno what to do."

Aries snatched the beer from Raph's hand, his hard palm crushing the bottle and sending beer soaking into his wool. "And this is gonna help, how?" he asked. "You being drunk is going to make them magically reappear? Leo is the only person in your world who can help you?" His voice grew harsher with each word. "What the hell do you think the rest of us have been doing on our time off-from work?"

Raph glared at the broken bottle. "Are you sayin' you been lookin' for them?" He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Of course if Aries did find them it'd be awesome, but then what? That would only strengthen whatever weird thing that already existed between the ram and Zoe. His eyes narrowed as he reached for the fridge door again. The two were close and for some reason, perhaps his brother's whoring ways, their relationship never had set well with him.

"What the hell do you think we've all been doing?" Aries threw his hands up in the air. "The only ones who haven't been looking for them are Donnie and Mama-that's because Donnie is trying to figure out how to use some Kraang tech to spy on the EPF, and Mama is a basket case. I'm surprised she's even walking. Last time something like this happened to her, she just slept for a month, then disappeared." He gave Raph a shove. "And you haven't been looking," he opened his hand and let the glass shards fall from it. "You've been getting drunk like a coward."

Raph's teeth ground together as his hand flew up to swipe his brother back. "I ain't a damn coward and I _have_ been looking! I only drink when Casey ain't helping, and I can't-" His nostrils flared as his throat tightened. "I can't stand bein' here, an' smellin' them, seein their stuff everywhere." His shoulders slumped, as rather than hit his brother, his hand fell to his side.

"I just keep thinking I hear their voices... and I don't know where else to look, or what they're doin' to them then my mind starts to come up with ideas because of all the stuff I know about Z's past." He looked Aries in the eye, though his ram brother was blurry behind the lingering effects of alcohol. "And when I bring them home, because one way or another _I will._ What am I bringing home?" Raph rubbed his face and sighed. "You know she ain't gonna be in the shape she left in. We'll be starting all over."

Aries face was filled with compassion, his horizontally slit-pupils at their widest. He put a hand on Raph's shoulder, unaware of any glass was still on his palm or not. "You did it before," he said. "We all remember you doing it. And you were a kid back then. You can do it again."

Raph's stomach turned. He grimaced as he looked helplessly at his brother. "They ain't never gonna leave her alone. And now they know about Anton. What're they doin' to him?" His mouth was dry as his throat closed. He staggered back and plunged his head in the sink in time to lose his drinks.

Walking over and rubbing the back of Raph's neck, after a swipe across his shell, then realizing that the turtle probably couldn't feel it, he said, "Don't stay here. You've got lots of places to go. You've got family. You don't have to rely on Casey."

Raph turned on the faucet, rinsing his mouth before leaning against the counter. "Everybody's busy." He snorted as he turned to face the ram. "Are you suggesting I stay with you, Dusa, Arcos and his new girl? Isn't that a conflict of interest for you?"

Aries brow ridges drew together. "Conflict of interest? What are you talking about? There's plenty of room at the warehouse."

His brother seemed so sincere Raph almost believed he really wanted to help him. He stared at the ram for a long moment that slowly gained an awkwardness to it. He kept wanting to confront Aries about his relationship with Zoe, but no matter how he tried to say it, it didn't sound right. Maybe it wasn't anything more than a friendship. But she _had_ spent a lot of time with the ram, often, and alone, and Aries _was_ a whore. Raph's jaw clenched. _Wouldn't I look like an ass if it turned out something had been going on and I was so stupid I couldn't see it?_ He stood as straight as he could, looking Aries in the eye. "Why're you tryin' ta help me?"

Even standing to his full height, Raph was nowhere near eye level with Aries. However, his emerald green orbs were insistent, not looking away. His pupils were dilated, probably from the booze and the lack of light. _He probably has one hell of a headache._ "Man, you're not thinking right," Aries scoffed. "What do you mean, why am I trying to help you? Why the hell do you think?" He huffed in the turtle's face through his nose.

"Oh I'm thinkin' just fine. I just don't see how helpin me benefits you. I mean yer always there. You an' Mikey both. If there's anything going on with Zoe I already know you and him are gonna come around tryin' ta fix it. I just don't get why. I mean he's doin' it cos they're like best friends." Raph yanked out a chair at the kitchen table, plopped down and leaned back in it. He studied the rams confused expression. Was he playing dumb or genuinely confused? Raph wasn't sure, and Zoe wasn't there to keep him in check. "What's your excuse?"

Aries opened his mouth, then closed it again. When he opened it the second time, he managed to say, "What in the _hell_ are you talking about? How helping you benefits me? It doesn't benefit me, other than not having to hear about it from everyone else." He put his hands on his hips and leaned forward, bringing him closer to Raph's face. "What is the matter with you? How is staying here, drunk, going to help you any? If you don't work, you don't get paid. You don't get paid, you get kicked out. That's a really good way to treat your wife and kid when we get them back, by making them homeless."

Raph stared at Aries as the back of his skull began to ache. He hated being wrong as much as he loathed screwing up. Damn the ram for being right. But it was easier to be angry, it was easier when there was someone to fight. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he dropped his gaze to the table. "If I go to work I'll feel like I should be lookin', like I ain't doin' enough to find'em. And I ain't getting trashed every day, just tonight, cos' Casey bailed on me. I got here and it-" His throat tightened and he bit down harder to fight back what threatened to be some embarrassing emotional crap.

"Then why are you here?" Aries threw his hands in the air. He didn't blame being home putting Raph on edge. But the dumb turtle was being just that-dumb. Was he so drunk that he wasn't thinking straight?

Sharp lines set the tense muscles of Raph's face, his eyes burning as he glared at Aries. "Home is where my feet took me. Not that it's any of your damn business. But then you seem to find your way here all too often too."

"You weren't at work," Aries said through clenched teeth. "Where the hell else am I supposed to look for you? Oh wait," he picked up am empty beer bottle, "at the bottom of one of these. Useless."

Raph thrust his hands into Aries chest shoving him with enough force that as the ram stumbled back, Raph staggered forward a step. _Whoa. Head rush._ "Who the hell're you callin' useless?" He growled. "Huh? Actin' like you don't know what I'm talkin' about. I know you come here when I ain't around, gettin' all cozy with Zoe. I just can't figure out why? It ain't like you don't got a different girl fer every night of the week. Why're you spendin' private time with mine?"

"Because she's my friend," Aries nostrils flared, he put his hand back to catch himself on the counter. It was clear in his voice that his patience was wearing out. Raph was acting like he was the only one who had lost someone. Just because he no longer lived with them, did not mean he hadn't lost his sister, nephew, and little brother. "You wouldn't know what that was, because you don't have any!"

"I've got friends," Raph grouched. He backed up a bit, slightly less sure of himself. His emotions were all over the place and his thoughts scattered. What if he was wrong? What if he was right? Did he really want to know? His brow furrowed then he rubbed his face as he staggered toward a chair at the table.

"Just friends, huh?" He frowned. "Man, I find it hard ta believe yer just friends with any woman. The way you get around makes it look like ya only care about one thing."

Aries blinked, his face frozen in an angry contortion. "You think I'm sleeping with Zoe?" he asked in a low voice.

Raph didn't answer right away, his eyes narrowing. He and Zoe had an incredible, supernatural bond. There was no way she was sleeping with Aries. If she were, he would feel that in his gut, he'd know it as sure as he knew how empty he was severed from her right then. But there was still something about the ram's interactions with her that irked him. "Nah. That sounds stupid when you say it out loud... I guess. But I've caught the two of you gettin' all cuddly." He pinned the ram in his sights. "More than once. And I can't name a single other woman, who's not yer mom or yer sister that you spend so much time with that ya ain't fuckin'. So, what gives?"

The ram's nostrils flared, his hourglass pupils barely horizontal lines in his golden eyes. He took a slow breath in, his long ears tilting backward as he did. "All cuddly with a woman how's not my mom or sister?" he repeated slowly. "Cuddly with a woman who was a _kid_ when I met her, and a messed up one at that? A woman that zoned out and killed anything that came near her, so that on more than one occasion it took more than just the great Raph to hold her down? The one _you_ knocked up as a teenager? That one?" He shook his head, his ears flapping and continued before Raph could break in. "I'm going to go on the assumption that you're drunk, and that's why you're being a bigger dumbass than normal." He held a thick finger up in Raph's face. "I can get cuddly with any woman I want, so why would I _want_ to get cuddly with yours? Oh!" He widened his eyes and stood back in mock surprise. "Because you're just shacking up together? Maybe that's it?"

Raph's teeth ground together as his hands curled into fists. "What're you tryin' ta say? Huh? _Shacking up?_ What the hell's that even mean?" As he shifted from his chair his shoe caught the leg, toppling it over as he staggered toward his brother.

Aries caught him by the shoulders, his hands pressing hard into his soft scales. "Shacking means you're living together, ignoramus." He gave him a gentle shake, however Raph's head bobbed with the movement. "Even your dad, who I like less than you, managed to figure out the difference between just living with a woman and marrying her." He picked the turtle up by his shoulders and brought him to his eyes level. "I don't fuck crazy women, and I don't fuck attached women. And Zoe," he said her name slowly, "is both."

Raph blinked repeatedly, then one eye ridge arched. "Put me down you big goat." Then his entire brow furrowed. "So- what you're saying is you want me to marry her?"

The ram shook him gently, Raph's head bobbing again. "I'm a sheep," he said slowly, then put the turtle down on a chair. He looked like the caricature of a child, standing on a kitchen chair staring at Aries with his brow furrowed. "You're so dumb," the ram continued, turning from him toward the coffee pot. He picked it up and made a face as he caught sight of the sludge in the bottom. "When was the last time you cleaned this?" he asked as he began to do so. "How'd you grow into adulthood and not die yet?"

Raph shrugged. "I ain't stayed here since. Zoe always cleans it." He shifted to step off the chair but the damn thing slid and he near fell on his face. Sometimes being drunk took the edge off, others it just sucked.

Putting the coffee pot on he turned around, his arms across his broad chest. "Get it together, man," he growled. "You're going to lose your job if you don't come in. A burly mutant is a dime a dozen. The only reason you're not fired now is because I told the owner you were sick." He leaned forward at the waist and squinted. "I got you this job, don't make me look bad."

The coffee pot sputtered the last of its water and Aries poured the coffee into a mug, handing it to Raph, he sighed. "We're all on edge, man. But we'll find them. We always do."

Raph collected himself from the floor and accepted the mug. He didn't want to admit it but Aries had a point. He was lucky to have the job. "I ain't exactly got a lotta skills outside of kicking tail. But it's hard to think about bein' there when I should be out lookin' for them."

Aries's voice turned compassionate. "You're not doing them any good if you get evicted, and they have no place to come home to." He put his hand on Raph's shoulder, his long ears back. "We'll find them, man. But you gotta be with it to do that."

Raph looked around the tiny kitchen. The fridge was covered with Antonello's art work and pictures of their family. Could he stay there and not be drunk? He rubbed his face.

He did need to hang on to the job and the apartment. Because he would bring them home. His stomach churned. What condition they came home in, now that was another issue all together.

Flashbacks of Zoe's emotionless eyes haunted him. But as his brain tried to form a parallel for Anton, bile burned his throat. His eyes burned and he rubbed his face again. "I won't miss another shift. But uh-"

He scratched the back of his head, his eyes narrowing on the fridge, to a picture of Zoe and Aries, with his arm around her. The ram had been there on more than one occasion when Z lost her shit, when Raph wasn't there to stop her. He frowned. And at least twice when he was. At a time like this he needed all the help he could get. He sure as shell shouldn't be pushing anyone away. He swallowed. Oh, how he loathed asking for help.

"You uh- wanna hang out until we get them back? And uh- I dunno what kinda shape they'll be in." He shifted his gaze, to look his ram brother in the eye. "You did help me with, Z. More than once. If they're both messed up-" Try though he might he couldn't finish that sentence, not for the lump in his throat.

"Get your stuff," Aries said. "We'll put you up at the warehouse. There's no reason for you to stay here." He waved Raph off with a thick hand, as if brushing him down the hall. "There's plenty of room, and you won't be by yourself." He looked around. "Or here." As Raph began to back away, Aries sighed. "They'll be OK, Raph. They're both real strong-" he was cut off by his phone chirping.

He huffed through his nose, "Change of plans," he said. "We need to get to Mama's apartment." He held up his phone, which had a text from "Pain In My Ass." _Emergency meeting. NOW!_

TSOTC

Mikey was already in bed when Denim finally came downstairs. She could tell he wasn't sleeping, and he didn't try to hide that fact, but neither did he pepper her with the questions she knew were burning at him.

Her insides were rung out and washed over from crying so much. Yet every muscle fell slack as she slipped beneath the covers, laying on her side to face him. He stared at the ceiling with a deep frown on his sweet face. His voice came out so low and melancholy it felt like a spoon carving out her shredded heart. "Maybe you shoulda picked him."

A fresh wave of tears poured from her swollen eyes. "Gods no, Michelangelo. How could you say that?" She reached out a hand to touch his face, just stopping herself in time for her fingertips to hover over his brow.

When she moved to withdraw them, his fingers wrapped around her wrist, and he buried his cheek in the cup of her hand. "I just don't want you to hurt anymore."

He was crying, his eyes glossy and wet, puffy like he'd been shedding tears for a while.

"Mikey, look at me," she scooted closer to him, savoring the pebbled texture of his skin against her fingers.. How she'd missed touching him. She commanded her hand to be limp in his grasp so that he controlled the pressure. He smiled through his tears, a hopeful Mikey gesture, and she thought she could swim in the endless blue of his eyes.

"It was always you, Mikey. That was never a question in my mind, before any of this. I knew it after the first night we were together, because you chose me. You wanted me, and for you I wasn't a consolation prize, I wasn't comfort for a grieving soul. You've never used me," she shook her head, "not the way I let Kyle. And I shouldn't have, but I'm not sorry I did because I have Alli."

She licked her lips, finding her mouth very dry. "But if all the choices I've made, every single one, if they brought me to you then I made the right ones, because I didn't know what love was, not like what I feel for you, not before you and never will there be another after."

His smile was so big his eyes near shut as he gathered her in his arms, smothering her in kisses. "I love you, Blue Jeans. Like everything you said, and feel, a hundred lifetimes over. I love you."

Just as he was about to kiss her and she was brave enough to attempt it, his phone rang, Leo's ringtone. Mikey's lips paused right before hers, so that his breath heated them… They began to burn, eager to feel the familiar pressure of his affection, but that pause was enough to bring her to her senses. She couldn't risk hurting him, not after finally returning home where she belonged. "You should get that. With all that's going on it could be important."

TSOTCTSOTC

Dr. Niklas Krei flipped through the chart, reviewing all the information already collected on the test subjects. At first, he'd felt indignant at being called in by the Mutant Core. He was, after all, the preeminent scientist specializing in the extra-sensory abilities of the Hybrids. But looking at these subjects, he understood why he'd been needed.

To think that one of their Hybrid assets had successfully interbred with a mutant. Remarkable. And now it was demonstrating signs of extra-sensory ability. He wouldn't have thought it possible, but the pattern of sleep distress during its maternal sire's reprogramming was undeniable. It opened up a world of previously unconsidered possibilities.

The icing on the cake was the other subject. For years, despite being a mostly colossal failure, the Kraang Legacy department had been utter elitists. Their work was top secret, so all anyone ever knew was that it rarely yielded any results with regard to harnessing Kraang Legacy powers in any applicable way.

But now a Kraang Legacy subject had produced viable offspring with a mutant and there was speculation that the little creature might have inherited some of those special talents. And he, not anyone from the actual Kraang Legacy department, had been summoned to examine the case. Not only would he have full access to the test subject, but also to the Kraang Legacy candidate that had produced it.

It would be up to him to assess what both were capable of and how such talents could be made of use to the organization. He could not wait to cram his imminent success down his mystery colleagues' arrogant throats.

There were a few caveats, of course. Director Battle had taken a particular interest in the Kraang Legacy case and expected to be involved in any related testing. His other two subjects, being unique and momentarily irreplaceable, could not be killed or permanently damaged. But beyond that he had free rein to experiment as he liked, now that the geneticists had taken a complete work up of biological samples.

And he knew the most efficient way to manifest their extra-sensory abilities. Put the subjects under duress and instinctively they would use every tool available to alleviate it. Years of working with Hybrids had allowed him to develop a comprehensive catalog of scenarios for creating just such pressures.

"Which test should we start with, sir?"

He glanced over at the middle-aged tech standing beside him with a clip board. From his quick perusal, it seemed obvious that appearing to endanger the mothers, both thankfully in custody, would be the most likely psychological pressure point. But that would take time and convincing to arrange. Best to knock out the basics while he set that up.

"We'll begin with environmental. Minimum food and water, lower the temperatures in their containment cells. And observe what, if any, mechanisms are applied to ease their situation."

In the meantime, he needed to speak to Director Battle.

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho stood on a corner intersection near the apartment with the early afternoon sun filtering down through the sparse cloud cover, marveling at how quickly everything had suddenly moved forward after what had seemed like an endless wait. They could really mobilize when they wanted to.

She'd thought their efforts might be stymied by the loss of the smart turtle, but, in his absence, the burly ram had proved himself quite brilliant. They operated differently. Where Donatello seemed to have a specific goal in mind in advance and bent everything in his natural surroundings to his will to achieve it, Aries seemed more organic in his methods. With a general objective, he looked at whatever was on hand and almost intuitively fit it together like a jigsaw puzzle, until it became something useful and needed.

She'd been impressed. While she was certain Donatello could fix her like new if she found herself damaged, she now believed that Aries could repair her as well, should the need arise, though she might come out of it looking rather interesting.

"You don't have to do this. We can find another way."

At his words, she looked over to Arcos, a reassuring presence at her side. This was for him, to restore his family. She could do it. Had to do it.

Taking his paw in her hand, she shook her head, feeling a Zen-like sense of calm quiet her jangled nerves. "This is their best chance."

When she pulled her hand away, he frowned down at the small signal jammer she'd left behind, her armor until now.

"It will be ok."

She turned to walk away, but he caught her gently by the shoulder and pulled her tight against his chest. Momentarily startled, she quickly relaxed into the embrace, inhaling deeply as though to memorize his scent. For an instant, she was one with the girl who died in the fire, held tightly by Arcos's strong arms. Safe.

"We...I... will get you out if there. No matter what." The promise rumbled out of him, half spoken, half growled.

She reluctantly pulled back to look up into his eyes. "I know." And she did. Whatever she'd thought before or would think after, in that moment, she believed him.

Gently disengaging herself, she drew a deep breath, hoping the courage he inspired in her would hold until she'd finished what needed to be done.

Seemingly of their own accord, her legs began moving, taking her away from him, choosing her path at random with no actual plan for where she was going. The atmosphere felt surreal as though she were, not dreaming as she technically couldn't, but reliving a moment in the life of the girl who died in the fire, experiencing everything first person without actually being there. Time seemed to distort and she lost track of how long it had been since she'd stepped away from Arcos, the sensation of unreality shielding her like a cloak.

Then an unmarked van with tinted windows screeched to a halt in front of her. The sliding door flew up, revealing K37, her sleek black hair, cropped close to her head and preference for pastel t-shirts that contrasted against her dusky skin, just as Sappho remembered. No. Habit now. It hadn't been a preference since they'd taken and 'corrected' her, banishing her occasional shy smiles and wondering expressions.

As Sappho met her dark, empty eyes, the illusion of none of this being real melted away, snapping reality back into place with crystal clarity. This was happening.

She was abruptly aware of a handler's presence in her head, not sure exactly when they'd reconnected, but the violation made her insides squirm as never before. It was all very real.

She instinctively moved to defend herself when K37 reached out, but the delay caused by her earlier disbelief made it a futile gesture.

K37 caught her blocking hand, clamping down on her forearm and pulling Sappho's torso into her thrusting palm.

As the burst of electricity surged into her solar plexus, Sappho finally began to panic.


	66. Chapter 65

TSOTCTSOTC

Donnie groaned, blinking heavy eyelids against the harsh light. His mind felt foggy and his mouth dry, as though stuffed with cotton. Common side effects of being drugged.

Drugged?

Drugged!

The tranquilizer dart. Mom!

He snapped to attention, looking around. Another office room full of computers, not unlike the one he'd been fleeing from earlier. Though careful examination suggested that the room was remotely monitored through tiny pinhole cameras and microphones in the walls and ceiling. There were no windows. The walls and doors were solid steel and likely the floor and ceiling as well under the industrial tile and drop ceiling hiding the room's lighting and electrical cables. Escaping from this prison would be no easy task.

A quiet whoosh, warned him that the door was unlocking a second before it clicked open, indicating the room was hermetically sealed enabling them to gas him if they so desired.

A dainty woman in a lab coat brushed into the room, the door locking behind her. Her dark hair was pulled back in a tight bun and the contacts in her eyes hinted that the impossibly vibrant green color was likely unnatural.

Her body language wasn't aggressive as she approached with an easy smile, but he tensed up all the same.

"It's wonderful that you're finally awake. We had to guess on the appropriate dosage of the tranquilizer. I'm looking forward to working with you."

Was she insane? There was no way he'd be doing anything they wanted.

Instinctively reaching for his absent bo staff, he became abruptly aware that they'd stripped him of everything. His cheeks burned and he had to fight the impulse to step behind the rolling office chair he'd just jumped up from.

 _You are a turtle. You have natural clothing and even if that weren't true, modesty isn't what matters right now_.

Perhaps they'd underestimated him, thinking him harmless without his gear. He was the weapon, not his equipment. She didn't have any kind of a guard. As long as they didn't call his bluff, he could use her as a hostage to get out of here. Those willing to kill were just as willing to believe others would.

Decision made, he rushed forward, blinked and found himself standing exactly where he started. What the shell?

She chuckled lightly. "Now, now. We'll have none of that. You'll have to behave if you don't want us to do it for you."

How could they... His stomach clenched and he reached up to feel the back of his neck, fingertips grazing the round, metallic head of an EDF-adapted, Kraang mind-control implant.

"It's programmed to trigger under certain circumstances, to prevent you from becoming unruly."

He scowled at her. "Why aren't you using it to make me do what you want?"

She sighed and shook her head. "It's good with straight forward tasks, but unfortunately has a limiting effect on ones that require a great deal of creative thinking or elaborate problem solving. We wouldn't have access to the full scope of your capabilities."

But she assumed she would without it? "What is it you want me to do, anyway?"

She lowered herself into a neighboring computer chair and gestured to him to do likewise.

He didn't move.

Another blink and he was seated in the chair. This was going to get old fast.

"Based on the digging you've already done, I'm sure you have some idea." She gave him a chiding smile as she tsked him.

Taking a leaf from Raph's book, he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. "I know that you're intentionally trying to cause a bunch of mutant pregnancies. There was no indication of why."

She pouted as though he'd disappointed her. "Human-mutant pregnancies. I think you're well aware of the compatibility issues between mutants."

"Why?" Was this some kind of game to her?

She shrugged. "It was my understanding that you were exceptionally intelligent. I'd think the answer would have been obvious. We're doing it for the same reason anyone breeds any type of animal, dogs, horses, etcetera. To guarantee desirable traits and eliminate undesirable ones, creating a useful, customized breed of the specimen."

He stared at her, trying to ascertain if she was joking. It didn't seem like it.

"Now don't you feel silly for not getting it on your own?"

For not producing an ethically unthinkable answer? No.

She carried on as though he'd laughed along with her question. "And now that we have evidence that our Hybrids can pass on their abilities, we'll take our best tailor-made mutant strains and combine them to produce the most elite weapons the world has ever seen. And if we can breed in the Kraang Legacy abilities, a possibility just recently brought to our attention, we'll be more than a match for whichever aliens come knocking on Earth next."

Oh shell...Anton and Yuuta.

"Even if you did succeed" not an outcome he even wanted to consider "what's to stop you from conquering Earth or other peaceful alien civilizations?"

Her expression turned patronizing. "Would that be so bad? Earth is full of suffering and chaos with all its petty little governments. Think of the peace planetary stability could bring. And we need to see to our own before worrying about the concerns of other 'nice' aliens. Earth could certainly do with more physical resources as our present set is getting stretched thin." The air quotes around 'nice' suggested that she didn't really believe there were such aliens. "But first we need to initiate the breeding program with a large pool of candidates and, as you well know, there is the problem of pregnancy stability yet to be ironed out. That's where you come in. Your progress on that front has been most impressive."

She was bat shit crazy if she ever thought that he would...

"And, of course, your efforts will be rewarded. Any verifiable progress and we will allow you brief communication with the others from your social group..."

"Family." He corrected automatically.

"...who are in our custody." Her expression became stern, or a good mockery of it. "However, if we don't get any results, or those results are flawed, we will have to take it out on the others and you will be made to watch."

Oh shell...no. Zoe. Mom. Anton and Yuuta were just kids.

"Do you understand?"

There had to be some way out of this.

"Do you understand?"

He nodded stiffly.

Her face relaxed into a smile. "Excellent. And don't look so put out. We're building a better world."

Ignoring his cringe as she popped to her feet and patted him on the shoulder. "Time to get to work."

She cheerfully exited the room as he turned forlornly towards the computer.

 _We're building a nightmare_.

TSOTCTSOTC

Medusa sat coiled atop the roof of a building considering how different it was to be travelling up here during the day. That Captain Leo had basically said 'screw it' to stealth was a good indication of where they were on the desperaometer. Still, it was about time they were finally doing something. She was ready to strike back.

The plan was dangerous and had no guarantee of giving them the information they needed. All she could do was hope and believe that it would work. Unfortunately, life had done a damn good job of drilling hope and belief out of her. But maybe she could borrow someone else's for a bit.

She patted the zipper pouch on her chest harness that served as her pockets, feeling the small pouches within. Horace's optimism, inspired by who knew what. She wasn't about to make any promises she didn't think that she could keep. And yet, she found herself smiling.

The Bluetooth earpiece that Aries had rigged up for her crackled to life as her phone received the awaited call.

Leo's voice broke through the clearing static. They've got her and their headed your way. It's a white, windowless van, so it should stand out. We're still connected, but keep on them just in case. The other recon teams are converging back with us while we follow in traffic."

She looked down into the stream of cars that somehow moved through the gridlock. He was right. It did stand out.

Tapping the button on the ear piece, she replied. "Spotted their creep-mobile. They aren't getting away."

It was finally time to deliver some pay back.

TSOTCTSOTC

Antonello's jaw was locked, teeth ground together as he steeled himself against the random stinging across his body. When he'd refused to open his mouth, they'd held him down and swabbed his actual eyeball for DNA. They'd clipped his fingernail short enough it sent jolts of pain through his index every time he bumped it. They'd used a razor blade to scrape his shell that he hadn't really felt but the sound, the sound of them marring his once perfect shell, brought tears to his eyes. But he was strong. He wouldn't let them see him break. He was a ninja, he wouldn't fall apart. He wouldn't.

After they'd scraped his bicep dropping a sliver of his skin in a container, they'd let him go, left him there in a cage fit for an animal. Without a blanket, without his stuffed Franklin, without the scent of cedar, leather and sweat mixed with honeysuckle, the familiar comfort of his parents. For if he had a nightmare that's where he went, crawling into their bed to nestle between them. His bottom lip quivered and a lump rose to his throat as he curled into a ball, his shell pressed against the back of the log he'd tried to hide in. He scrunched his eyes tight and tried to picture them, to picture his mom and dad.

"My perfect flawless, turtle boy." She'd called him that every now and then. He hadn't understood until they'd held him down and scarred him. Mom and Dad had scars, lots of them. But he'd never asked how they came about getting them. More important those scars hadn't changed them, and he wouldn't let these monsters change him. He wouldn't.

Something wet dripped down his cheek. It wasn't a tear. He wasn't cryin'. Alli was the crier not him. What he wouldn't give to have a redo for the last however long he'd been there. It was impossible to tell with the never changing red light that shone constant in his glass box. Everything beyond it was black, darkness, unless one of them came into view. Then he just wanted to hide again.

Mom, Dad where are you? Where are you? Mom. Mom. Mommy. Please come for me, Mommy. Please. I need you.

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe lay exhausted, grateful when at last the convulsions stopped. What had they done to her? Her blood tingled like she'd had four or five shots of bourbon. She'd woke in some sort of windowless cell, four walls, a cot and a door. Her entire body ached, down to her eyelids. Eyes closed to the bare, lonely room, her head ached like something was trying to pick apart her brain from inside.

How long had she been there? How had she gotten there? Why couldn't she remember anything but the fighting. The second she'd been near death she'd snapped, she knew that much. She'd felt something snap inside her, pull her deep inside herself to a dark, solitary place that would keep her safe from what she had to do. Something like Pandora's Box in reverse, all the goodness that existed in her and been sucked inside and she'd locked that part of her away so she could do what had to be done.

But as she lay there the ache of something missing urged her to reach inside herself and free the stranger she'd hidden away. Could whoever that other girl was even survive this place? Maybe it was for the best to leave her. But the hurt in the center of her chest wouldn't be ignored. She lifted a tired arm, rubbed the heel of her palm into her sternum. So deep. The pain. It wasn't from whatever they'd done. It was something else.

Just breathe. Breathe. She rolled to her back, lowered her arms to her sides and lay still focusing on her breath. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Her mind cleared, her muscles relaxed, bit by bit, tender as they were her body was at rest. But her chest, that band around her heart. It lingered. With every breath, it remained.

Her subconscious formed a picture in her mind, a shadow of herself hovering near a locked chest, tapping the key against her palm. Open it, Zoe. Open it. Please.

Her fingers were trembling as she slid the key into the lock, but before she could turn it she heard a voice. Not her own. "Mommy, I need you. Please. Please, Mommy. Please."

All at once the lock blew off the trunk, the lid flew open and brilliant white light filled every inch of everything in the nothingness surrounding her. The purest form of herself sprang forth, leaping right into her chest and she knew, she understood the hurt, and recognized the voice. The cry. The plea. Of her child.

Her eyes snapped open. "Antonello."

TSOTCTSOTC

April threaded the unusually large van so tightly through the New York grid lock that even veteran cabbies couldn't help but admire her finesse. A deep-down grudging admiration that she could sense beneath the fury at how narrowly she was cutting them off. Who would've thought that precognitive reflexes would be so useful in a chase through dense traffic?

Though she'd never driven before on any of their rare missions involving vehicle transport, she suspected that would likely change given how well she was tailing the cyborg-nappers. All it took was a chance when Leo and Aries had started in on their obligatory fight over the wheel.

Splinter, patience already stretched thin, had silenced them both, cane slamming loudly against the floor. He'd insisted Aries oversee his 'infernal machine' and Leo mind his mission, turning the keys over to her. The looks on their faces had been priceless.

In the rearview-mirror she could see Aries hunched up in front of the computer system that he'd riveted to the inside wall of the unfurnished back of the vehicle. Cables trailed up through the roof where a makeshift antenna, spreading out like an ungainly metal spider web, was bolted keeping them connected to Sappho and a up to the front through a hole carved into the dash and sealed with duct tape so they all didn't asphyxiate, allowing the engine to power the system.

Aries had impressively assembled it all in under an hour from Donnie's junk hoard. He was even more impressively restraining himself from punching his brothers as Leo and Arcos were continuing to peer at the screen over his shoulders in spite of repeated warnings to back off. At least it kept them away from Raph who paced the remainder of the space like a caged animal.

His open display of agitation unnerved her far less than Splinter in the passenger seat. While on the surface, her teacher, mentor and second father seemed at peace, only an extra tight grasp on his cane indicating anything being amiss, she could feel the swirling vortex of absolute rage flowing underneath it all. While her sensei was often exasperated, annoyed, irritated, angry and impatient, he typically held his emotions on a tight leash. In all the time she'd known him, she could count on one hand the number of times he'd been so utterly furious and still have fingers to spare. Whenever they found who they were after, there would be hell to pay.

With Leo calling out directions to her from Sappho's GPS, she slowly wound her way through the city, collecting their ranging family members from the rooftops as they went. First Karai, then Mikey and eventually Medusa as they came to the tunnel to New Jersey, each with increasingly loud thuds onto the top of the van before slipping in through the rear doors.

Despite the urgency of the mission, Mikey had been understandably reluctant to leave Denim so soon after recovering her, but barricaded in their apartment with Alli and armed to the teeth, Denim had insisted he go, making it clear that failing to do so would be taken as a slight to her competency as a warrior. Mikey had wisely acquiesced.

And for the best, as looking in the back now, she could see everyone crunched into place amid Medusa's coils. With priority being placed on giving space to Aries' computer system, everyone else was left with barely enough room to breathe. One more person would've pushed them over the limit into needing a second vehicle.

As New Jersey's suburbs became more and more spread out, eventually giving way to woodland, she steeled herself for what was to come. One way or another, they were taking their family back.

TSOTCTSOTC

Phoenix sat on the bed and cried. Tears kept coming out of her eyes whether she wanted them to or not. Her head ached from crying so much, her tongue felt as if it took up her entire mouth and her saliva was so thick that it made her gag when she tried to swallow. She tried to meditate, but was unable to, whenever she did, she heard awful sounds in her inner ear; a scream that sounded like Yuuta's cries when he was an infant, growls, hisses, but when she heard "Mommy, please," in Anton's voice, she stopped trying to meditate altogether.

But she had plenty of time to think. She thought of all kinds of things, mostly of Yuuta, Anton, and Donnie, all trapped in this place somewhere, being hurt. She knew they were being hurt, she could feel it in her bones. She had to do something, but her brain took her in a thousand different directions, each one more fantastical than the last, until her mind was so tired, she would cry once again, just from mental exhaustion.

The small room that Battle has put her in had whatever she wanted for soft comforts. It sported a fully made bed, a small dresser with two changes of clothes, and a bathroom with a stand in shower. It had no windows, but a camera was positioned in the corner that viewed the whole room. Another one was in the bathroom. The lights turned off when they did, and on when they did, and there was nothing she could do about it. So, she tried to sleep when it was dark and she tried not to cry when it was light.

She paced the room like a trapped tigress, turning to the door when she heard it unlatch.

Battle entered, a small smile on his face. "Dry eyes today?" he asked, holding up a paper cup with a steaming liquid in it.

Phoenix had the vision of grabbing it and throwing it in his face, but she was not the one who would be punished for such an action. He didn't have to say it, but she knew it to be true. As he stepped into the room, the door clicking behind him, she asked, "Where are my children?" Her voice was still thick from her previous tears.

"In the facility," Battle gave her the same response he had the previous times she asked. "Safe."

"They're not safe," she had replied the first time he'd said it.

"They are not sound," he had replied. "But they are all perfectly safe."

She'd growled like an animal at the response, but today, she said, "I want to see them."

Battle put the cup on the small dresser. "Now, Phoebe, you know I can't do that."

"If they're here, then I should be able to see them," she said. She kept her hands by her side, her fists balled at her thighs. Her eyes burned as if they had no more tears in them, though she knew that to false. She would cry after he left. She might even do it before then.

"That's not how it works."

"I won't cooperate with you," she told him simply. The pause in his response gave her a feeling of control for the first time since she'd been brought to this facility.

He sighed. "I am trying to be nice to you, Phoebe," he said. When she did not reply, he continued, "Then we'll have to reprimand you. Or one of your children."

"I won't fight you," she replied. "But I won't help you."

Again he paused, and she felt her heart race.

"And if you get to see them, that means you will help?" he asked slowly, tilting his head to the side.

Taking a deep breath, Phoenix licked her lips. "For one interaction," she said. "Then we can renegotiate our...agreement."

The tiny smile returned to his face. "The tea is how you like it," he gestured to the cup. "I made it myself." Turning to the door, he threw over his shoulder, "I will see what I can do."

TSOTCTSOTC

In a whir of rebooting systems, Sappho returned to consciousness. She found herself sealed in the back of a windowless van, the kind she'd ridden back to base countless times before. Even with missions that required air travel, the plane would typically land in New York and she'd be picked up from there, returned like cargo, never seeing anything wrong with that before.

K37 crouched in front of her, one hand clutching a handle in the wall for stability. There were seatbelt harnesses built into the frame of the interior, but mobility trumped safety at the moment as she was obviously considered a threat.

Not that she could do too much at the moment. Her ankles were cuffed together with a short steel chain, one she could break but it would slow her down enough to give K37 the edge, even if her hands were free.

As it was, her arms were bound behind her with connected braces of Kraang metal, a sharp probe gouging into each wrist, electronically disabling the weaponry built into her robotic frame.

The vehicle tilted forward as it dipped into the parking garage. Although she'd never seen the outside of it, she understood that ninety percent of the facility was subterranean, with only a token structure sitting on the surface to mislead any passerby as to the true nature of the building.

The van parked and K37 opened the sliding door, rolling Sappho out with a kick. She didn't mean it to be vicious, there wasn't enough person left in her to do so, but practicality, demanded she not open herself up to attack while removing Sappho from the vehicle and that was the most efficient way to do it.

Cold comfort to Sappho, unable to break her fall as she hit the cement floor face first. At least her head didn't experience pain in the conventional sense, though she was aware of the damaged caused.

The van's driver, a plain human soldier, hooked one of her bound arms and hauled her to her feet under K37's supervision. No easy task as she was much heavier than she appeared.

The soldier stayed behind her and K37 moved to her side, escorting her as she shuffled from the parking structure into the main hallway of the building. Security doors read their presence wirelessly and opened for them as they approached. She recognized the route. They were on their way to the maintenance wing, what would be the medical division for soldiers who were real people.

The door at the end of the hall opened. Heart stuttering, she stumbled as K2 tromped towards her.

Stopping before her, he tilted her chin up, so that her eyes met his. "Ka-ate. Welcome back." He grinned savagely, then backhanded her across the face with the hand that had brought her chin up.

Grabbing a fistful of her short hair in his other hand, he yanked her head back. "Your untimely little rebellion has caused me quite the headache. But the good news is that, thanks to you, the mission is still salvageable. Once you're done with your reprogramming, you'll have no qualms about telling us everything we need to know to bring the rest of them in. In the end, we'll have you and we'll have them and everything you've done will have been for nothing." He released her head crossing his arms over his chest as he glared down at her. "Mission FUBAR. K76 destroyed. The Director holding me responsible..."

K76 was dead? When had that happened? How?

She shoved the guilt away. Even if it was somehow her fault, that couldn't help her now.

His glare morphed into a sneer. "...I'm owed something for all the trouble you've caused me, so I'll personally conduct a preliminary interrogation before they rip out your mind and take what they need. I've waited a long time for this."

Normally, she sought to hide her emotions behind a mask of neutral detachment, never giving him anything to manipulate with. This time, as the very circumstance she'd spent her career avoiding became her immediate future, she allowed her very real fear to show through, cringing away from him.

She allowed him that satisfaction, knowing that fear and self-preservation were familiar to him. He'd never understand a motivation greater than his own self-interest.

That was why, as he basked in his victory while waiting for her to struggle to get away, her counterattack caught him completely off guard.

Simultaneously her head swung back, shattering the nose of the soldier at her back, her leg snapped forward, pounding a front kick into his solar plexus and her elbow shot sideways, striking K37 in the chest, wrenching her torso to reach with her bound arms.

The soldier doubled over clutching his face as he dropped to the floor with a pitiful gurgle. The force transferred from her elbow to K37s heart was enough to stop it, though the built-in defibrillator would restart it momentarily. She wouldn't recover quickly enough to be a factor in this fight.

That left K2. The blow he took would have dropped a normal person, but it only slowed him down.

That was all she needed.

Blind with rage, his arm engaged its cannon to blast her, at half his usual speed.

Taking advantage of the lag, she ducked forward, raising her wrist bracers behind her into the beam as she somersaulted past him, spreading her legs to snap the ankle cuffs so that she could roll up to her feet.

The blast destroyed her bracers and, to a lesser extent, her hands, but it was a necessary sacrifice to regain control of her weaponry.

Seeing her engage her own cannon, while his still required a few fractions of a second to recharge, K2 dodged aside, readying his counter attack.

Except, she wasn't aiming for him. Her blast struck the units of compressed oxygen, stored in the wall against emergencies that required the facility to seal itself underground.

The wall exploded, engulfing K2 in flames. Its force threw her backwards, a fall she turned into a roll to quickly return to her feet running. She didn't have time to play around with K2 even if she had liked her odds against him.

Navigating the labyrinth of hallways from memory, she pushed herself at top speed for the server room.

At technician inside yelped in surprise as she burst in, right before she body checked him into the wall.

The next few minutes were an exercise in frustration as she struggled to get her mangled hands to work. Precious minutes were lost, peeling back the false skin on the side of her head and fumbling open the section of her skull that Donatello had hinged.

Tugging out the cord he'd made from where it had been stored there, she offered a silent thank you to any higher power that might be listening for the end already plugged in her head. She doubted she could have managed it with the current condition of her hands.

Gripping the other end as best she could with broken fingers, she managed to jam it into the port of the primary backup server on her sixth try.

She sagged against the rack in relief, feeling the malware transferring from her to the EDF's system. The closest comparison sensation she could come up with was sand, sliding through her fingers. Soon it would infest them, transferring everything the needed into Aries's waiting computer. She'd done it

Then a vice-strong grip, closed on the back of her neck, jerking her away from the server rack. The scent of burning pseudo-flesh invaded her nostrils as K2's scorched face looked down at hers.

"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Aries watched the AV feed in distaste as April located a discreet spot to park. The total sicko looming over Sappho just would not shut up. When the asshole had hit her while she was bound, he'd made himself an appointment with Aries's fist. The additional threats, coming out like a monologuing Bond villain, were just digging himself in deeper.

A deep growl drew his attention from the screen to his brother beside him, holding himself rigid as he watched Sappho's capture unfold.

Damn, Arcos's was pissed. Slow to anger, when Arcos did finally get angry, he didn't half ass about it. His brother might not be leave any for him once they got their hands on this guy. Whatever was going on between robo-girl and Arcos must be more serious than he thought.

He looked back at the monitor in time to see the jerk consumed in an explosion. Nice. Had to say. Girl had style.

The momentary levity dissipated as she ran and ran and ran. Just how big was this place anyway? If they had to search it the old-fashioned way it would take forever.

Sappho finally arrived in the IT department and he was surprised by how normal it looked. The way these bastards operated, he'd been expecting...he didn't know, something super-villain gimmicky. This was disappointingly boring.

As the files started pouring in, April wedged in next to him and commandeered the keyboard. Sappho's feed minimized to a small square in the upper left-hand corner of the screen as she began sorting through the data.

That left him the mouse. Fan-fucking-tastic. He hated touchpads. With an irritated grunt, he opened a second window, he began the tedious process of digging through the mountain of information they were receiving, trying and mostly failing to ignore the rest of the family crowding in behind him.

He'd nearly found what he was looking for when Arcos's sharp intake of breath distracted him from the task. Arcos made a brief, inarticulate, strangled sound and Aries caught a glimpse of the charred face of that sick from before in the video feed. Not as crispy as they'd hoped the loser was.

"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

That bastard had Sappho.

"Wait!"

At Leo's call, he looked over to see Arcos disappear out the back of the van.

What the shit? Arcos never bailed.

"Arcossss!" Medusa, already mostly outside the van to give the rest of them a little space, immediately followed.

Damn it!

He started to get up to go after them, when April caught him by the wrist. She couldn't stop him, but the gesture reminded him what he was doing here. Yuuta and Mama needed him. He'd have to bail his sibs out afterwards.

"Seriously?" Leo whisper-yelled, an art he'd perfected over the years, out the open van doors.

"It's not like you were going to abandon her."

Leo frowned at Karai. "Of course not, but we should be coordinated and using our intel and I can't even call them because there's no cell service out here." He rubbed the bridge of his beak and forced out an angry breath before turning back to Aries and April. "What have you guys got?"

Right. Aries immediately went back to work.

April had made some progress though. "That office building is just a cover. It's all underground."

Leo blinked. "All of it it? Here?"

She smiled. "Yes. The place looks like a giant x. Their command hub looks like it's in the center. Sappho went into the equipment branch and that other wing to the southwest is their IT sector, where she should be now. Northwest is for the research division and northeast is their training center."

"Who the fuck cares? Where are they?" Everyone knew who Raph meant.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aries could see Splinter's expression of disapproval. Like anyone should care about appropriate language right now. At least he had his priorities straight enough to not upbraid his adult son for swearing amidst a family kidnapping. Not that he wasn't planning to mind his own words when they found Mama. He didn't have a death wish.

The next spreadsheet hit pay dirt.

"Got it." Aries smiled proudly, turning around. "Mama should be in the command hub. Zoe is in the training wing somewhere. And Donnie and the kids ought be in the research branch."

"Ok, we'll..."

Raph cut Leo off, barreling out the door. "I got Zoe and Anton."

"Get back here! We need to..."

Mikey put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "He's gotta Leo."

Leo's hands balled into fists. "I understand, but that's..."

"It's cool. I got this." And then, to Leo's consternation, Mikey took off after Raph with a wink.

After a second or two of gaping at the empty space where Mikey had been, Leo's fist shot out, leaving a sizable dent in the side of the van. "Does anyone even care about this mission actually succeeding?"

"Leonardo, focus!"

Aries grimaced as Leo snapped to attention at Splinter's command, like a yanking on a puppet's strings. Same reaction as always. There was no way that could be healthy.

Leo sucked in a breath and collected himself. "Our first priority is the kids. From there we'll move on to whoever else is closest until we've got everyone. April, do you have the layout on your phone yet? This will be easier with a map."

April nodded absently, still looking at the screen Aries had pulled up. "It's not very detailed though."

Leo shrugged. "We'll make do."

April frowned. "There's more people in there than just ours."

Leo paused for a fraction of a second, before sighing. "We get our family out first, once their safely on their way home, I'll go back in with whoever's willing and able to free the rest."

April nodded. "No one should be at the mercy of these monsters."

"With this terrain, it will be faster and stealthier on foot. Let's move out."

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe crouched on her bed, looked to the blinking green light on the camera in the upper left corner of her cell, lifted her hand and dragged her tongue across the back of it then brushed her chopped hair from her face. Her head tipped to the side as she stood gracefully from the cot, strolled the two steps across the floor and stared right into the camera. "You've gone and fucked with the wrong woman." She flashed a chilling catty grin, sprang up and snatched the device, yanking it from its cords. Live wires cracked and popped, then almost immediately she heard the guards shuffling down the hall.

Perfect.

As she tossed the destroyed camera aside she caught sight of her fingernails. They'd extended from her fingertips, curling at their ends like hooked razors. Swiping out at the wall she left a narrow-clawed gash, and her index almost got stuck.

As she favored the tender digit the rhythmic stomping of boots stopped outside her door. Zoe leapt on the bed, using it like a springboard as she sprang up into a half twist, catching the ceiling with her extended claws. Look, Anton, mommy's playing Spider-man on her way to rescue you.

 _Mom?_

Baby?

 _Don' call me baby. I ain't a baby. Where are you?_

Shocked, Zoe near forgot to hold on from her precarious hiding place. Anton? You can hear me?

 _Yeah. Are you here? Can you come get me, before they come back? I don't want them to hurt me again._

Hurt. You?

Zoe's mind cleared as the side of her that usually begged her killer counterpart not to shut her away, extended her own claws. She fixed her gaze on her cell door at the same time it opened.

Two guards rushed in as she dropped down, snapping one soldiers neck before kicking the other in the chest. The soldier went flying into the hallway with a crash. Drywall flew into the air around him as Zoe landed on her feet, fists up as the next two soldiers tried to push her back in her cell.

Her right hook connected with the attacker at her 10 o'clock, his jaw crumbling to the blow. Whatever they'd given her had powered her up and she wasn't stopping until she found her son.

"This is Holbrook, we need back up in the training hall. Cellblock Z unit 22, I repeat, we need back up-"

The guard's voice became a strangled choking sound as Zoe crushed his larynx and tossed him aside. Her blood dripping claws inched back into her fingertips as she picked up the man's walkie. Slowly she squeezed the button on the side. "You'd better bring everything you've got, Hun. Because I'm coming for my son. Then I'm coming for you."

TSOTCTSOTC

Sappho reached out to tear K2's hand from her neck before remembering that her hands were a useless mess. She next tried kicking up, but her position lent her little leverage for burying the ball of her foot into his face.

He easily deflected her attack with his free hand and slammed her head into the steel floor, snapping the compartment in her head shut hard enough to sever the cable.

The blow couldn't do much to her metal skull but it sloshed her squishy, organic brain around in her head, leaving her momentarily stunned.

Thus she wasn't able to even attempt dodging when he speared his palm stiletto blade into her back. Her CPU ran a quick inventory, determining that no essential organs had been pierced while her biological mind screamed pain. The organization had never successfully eliminated that functionality from their organic components.

At this range, there was no chance that she'd lucked out. Her vitals had not been missed accidentally. He intended to draw this out and still take her alive.

Like hell. The EDF was done using her.

He had he pinned face down against the floor with his left hand. The moment her right arm cannon began to open and activate, his right hand shot out to crush the weapon back into her arm. Leaving his left side open and extended.

Gritting her teeth against the pain movement brought, her left elbow lashed out, burying itself deep into K2's exposed abdomen.

He let out a guttural cry, pulling back and doubling over in agony.

The moment she felt him release her, she rolled to her side and kicked up to her feet. Without missing a beat, she plowed her heel into K2's facing, hoping to return the stun he'd given her earlier. She needed the time.

Jamming her already ruined hands elbow deep into a server, she hooked her arms around the frame of the rack behind him and tugged with her whole body, tearing it free of its wall and floor moorings and toppling it forward.

K2 tried scrambling out of the way, but didn't make it as a solid ton of electronics came crashing down on him.

She didn't wait to see if he was still moving after that before charging out of the data center. She had to get out of here.

Starting out attempting to backtrack, she quickly switched gears and rerouted towards the IT branch's parking garage.

Warnings and alerts were already scrolling across her vision about her, mobilizing the facility's forces to capture her. She'd have a better chance if she could make it outside.

Then the computer in her head issued a warning about precipitously dropping blood pressure as her organic mind went woozy. She must a ruptured an important blood vessel in her counterattack. She was losing blood, too much blood, fast.

Despite her best efforts, she staggered and fell against the wall.

No. She couldn't die here. She had to keep going. Had to...

Her vision went dark as her human brain lost the capacity to process anything and she sank to the floor.

TSOTCTSOTC

Raph stealth-ed along the outside of the building, eyeing a guard taking a smoke break at what was probably supposed to be a hidden entrance. It looked like one of those old-time cellar things, like the one at the Hampton's house, where they took shelter from tornadoes n'shit. His fingers itched for his sai and he didn't let them suffer. The worn leather wrap rested in his palm, the steel eager for a victim. He came up behind the open door, giving it a hard kick that sent it flying in little buddy's face. The guard crumbled like paper. It was Michelangelo's snicker that made him aware that he was there at all.

Internally, Raph cursed the fact that Mikey could sneak up on him. And damn the fact that whenever he did it was something to do with Zoe. Raph cast his brother a sideways glance as Mikey fished the guard's walkie from his vest. Ignoring the goofy smirk on his face, Raph slipped inside, the narrow strip of light vanishing as Michelangelo let the door close behind them.

It was some kind of access hall, and the fucker was pitch black. Damn. Had Leo and the others already shut down the camera's and lighting? Well shit. How the hell was he going to A familiar thrum of energy sparked beneath his plastron in the damned beating muscle that caused him so much grief. But for once he was grateful for it. He recognized the chords of the invisible strings that bound him to both his mate and his son. He could find them blind so long as he could feel them. Closing his eyes, he cleared his mind, focusing inward for the source of the pull.

Then the down guard's walkie crackled with static allowing a panicked voice through. "This is Holbrook, we need back up in the training hall. Cellblock Z unit 22, I repeat, we need back up-"

The guys sounded like he was gagging. Michelangelo bumped into him and Raph had to resist the impulse to send him flying into the nearest wall. They needed backup in the training hall? There was no way his family had gone there first. They'd go after the kids- hell if he got there first he'd get them. Which could only mean- was Zoe loose?

More static filled the air then it fell silent and a chillingly confident female voice came through. "You'd better bring everything you've got, Hun. Because I'm coming for my son. Then I'm coming for you."

Raph reached for the walkie, snatching it from Mikey's hand. As he pressed the button he was already screaming her name. "Zoe! Where are you? Tell me how the hell to find you! I'm here-"

"Raph, no! You'll let them know we're here!" Michelangelo snatched the device from his hand, knocking it into the abyss before them. Raph wheeled on him swiping a fist at the shadow of his brother's cheek. The little shit ducked and weaved like he was playing dodgeball.

"God-damnit, Mikey, she's loose! She can tell me where she is and we can get there- help her!" Raph swung again, then again before he stumbled into his little brother and the two grappled with one another.

"Stop it, Raph! Stop, bro! We can't help her or anyone if they know we're here! Stop, dude. Can't you use that connection-thing you two have? Find her that way?"

As Raph worked his brother into a headlock, debating how bad he would hurt him, the little elf's words actually kinda made sense. He had been making progress before he knew Zoe was loose. There were two comforts in that fact. One, she was still alive. Two, the more pissed she was the stronger that pull on his heart became. Releasing Mikey, he closed his eyes and took a breath. It was as if he was on the end of a rope and she was reeling him in. His mind flew down hallways, like he was floating above them looking down. Left, right, hard left, long hall, long, long, long hall then a spark of white, a bright star leaping and pouncing like a cat. Raph's eyes flew open. "I know where she is."

TSOTCTSOTC

Donnie scrolled through the charts and tables of compiled data and research. Part of his brain saw only a data set that it analyzed and drew conclusions from out of habit. Another part of his brain was keenly aware that each of the many data points represented the suffering of real people, some of them his mother's patients. The sheer volume was disheartening.

He wanted so much to believe that this represented some kind of unique aberration, an outlier in the normal behavior of people, but his brain readily supplied him an extensive list of counterexamples across history and culture, some of which from his own life experiences. At times like this, he could understand what it was about him that drove his siblings nuts. His mind couldn't help correcting his heart.

It didn't make what he was seeing any less disturbing though. So many innocents, callously used and discarded.

And, even with all of this, he was still no closer to a solution than he'd been before. Not that he was so eager to find it now. He wanted to save Denim and his unborn niece or nephew of course, but the thought of the EDF getting what they wanted was sickening.

He could see the many places they'd gone wrong with their formula, but not with his own. As far as he could tell, it should be working and he had no idea why it wasn't. It irked him to no end. He hadn't been this frustrated with a project since trying, and failing, to reverse Karai's mutation.

Behind him the door opened and he tensed. The psycho was back.

She swept cheerfully into the room, humming an upbeat tune that he wasn't familiar with as she plunked down into the chair next to him.

"You've hardly given me any time at all. I'm still reviewing your research." He refused to look at her as he spoke.

"True, but we have some concerns."

"Concerns?" Unable to help himself, he glanced her out of the corner of his eye.

She was actually pouting.

"You see, we've had you under surveillance. Now and before." With a few clicks, she pulled up dual sets of video in which he was working on a computer, from where he was captured and from this hell. "You see, your reading speed is faster before."

Oh no, they were catching on more quickly than he'd hoped. "I was skimming then. Now I'm reading in detail."

She continued as though he hadn't spoken. "And you're reviewing files that you looked at earlier."

His muscles were starting to ache from how rigidly he held himself. "I needed to look at them again."

She raised an eyebrow and thrust her lower lip out. "Now I think we both know that's not true. Our observations indicate that you have photographic memory."

"Eidetic." He corrected automatically.

She chidingly ticked her finger back and forth in front of him, speaking in a sing song cadence. "Someone needs an object lesson."

 _No!_ "I really don't think that's necessary."

"Now I know some people like to start small and scale up with this sort of thing, but I've always felt that if you give the first reprimand enough punch, it deters any future misbehavior. Don't you agree?"

He shook his head vigorously. "I understand and I really will do better going forward. A warning is sufficient."

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "So, what shall we do with you?" Then she snapped her fingers as though inspired. "I know. We'll take a little trip to visit the young rat and turtle. Dr. Krei said they need a bit of adversity if they're going to manifest any special talents they might have. And you're going to help."

The blood drained from his head and he felt dizzy. "No. I can't."

She swatted playfully at him. "Of course you can, silly. And your behavior modulator will make sure you do. This is the kind of straight forward task that it's good at after all."

His mouth ran dry and he started to tremble. "Please, no..."

"And then we can play it back for you on a loop on all the unused monitors in here for a few hours so you don't miss a moment. Perfect." She clapped her hands cheerfully, then turned to him with a bright smile. "Let's go."

TSOTCTSOTC

April masked herself in the foliage as Leo led the team up to the loosely camouflaged entrance.

The well-worn dirt road recessed into the ground, leading up to a pair of steel doors, surrounded by sod. Two bored-looking guards waited there, likely accustomed to the clerical work of checking IDs and reporting who entered and exited. There definitely weren't prepared for what was coming.

At Leo's signal, his plan became action. Two sets of kunai shot out from the tree-line. Leo's severing the wires of the perimeter cameras while Karai's cut the feed on the cameras monitoring the doors.

Splinter seemed almost to materialize between the two guards, catching their heads in each hand and cracking them together hard enough to concuss both men through their helmets. They dropped like rocks and April wasn't sure they were ever even aware the mutant rat had been there.

Coast clear, Aries charged in. A quick glance at the lock had him picking up one of the unconscious guards and stripping the glove off his hand. Pressing the unfortunate man's thumb against the scanner activated a second compartment just above the lock. Aries dropped the guy's hand, grabbing his head instead and forcing the guard's eyelids open for the optical reader. The doors unlocked with a beep.

April brought up the rear, trying to focus, but the closer she got to the facility the more intense their psychic defenses were. It felt like her head was full of angry wasps.

Once she crossed the threshold, the buzzing immediately stopped and she let out a sigh of relief. The mental blockade was external only.

Leo looked at her questioningly and she managed an encouraging smile before closing her eyes and touching her fingers to her temples as she concentrated on Anton and Yuuta.

"The kids are near each other. Seven hundred, maybe seven fifty, feet that way."

She pointed and Leo gave a nod, though it was Splinter who darted off first. Leo tried to keep pace with a frustrated grunt as the rest of them fell in after.

Too bad it wasn't a straight shot. They weaved through the warren of cement-block hallways in the general direction she'd provided, gradually closing in on their goal.

Despite his best efforts, Leo never retook the lead from Splinter who rendered unconscious, with lightning speed, any personnel in their path. In Leo's defense, he was eliminating all the security cameras with shuriken as they went.

To April's annoyance, she found herself drifting further and further behind, muscles burning and lungs protesting. It was time to up her training regimen when they got home.

Donnie's sudden and acute distress reverberated through her head, causing her to stumble. She'd been aware of his presence the moment she'd crossed the threshold, but had forced herself to remain on task, knowing that the children's safety would be his top priority.

But something was wrong. Very wrong. And he was so close. And then the fear and despair cut off, leaving only a hollow emptiness. That decided her.

Slowing from the group, she changed direction, breaking away to rush down a different tunnel.

TSOTCTSOTC

Once they got moving, finally close to setting right everything that had gone wrong recently, Karai had transformed. In snake-state, if she really pushed it, she could probably overtake father.

But she hung back, becoming a little worried when April started falling behind. She'd learned, slowly and painfully over the course of years of mistakes to carefully mind her comrades. Shini's death during the war had particularly driven the lesson home and still haunted her.

Originally planning to act as a bridge connecting their increasingly spread out team, plans changed when April suddenly veered off in another direction.

Shit! What was she doing?

Without hesitation, she swerved off after April, knowing she'd lose track of her friend if she wasted any time. Too bad she couldn't track as well as Medusa.

Leo wasn't going to like it, but there was no time to catch up to him and let him know. She couldn't let April go alone. He'd understand. She hoped.


	67. Chapter 66

"This is taking an awfully long time," the guard said to Phoenix, shifting the rifle on his shoulder to a more comfortable position.

"Healing takes time," she said with agitation. She knelt on the floor by Leatherhead, the bars to his cage closed, trapping them both in, as his great head lay on her lap. She'd finished with the crocodile mutant quite a while ago, but the guard didn't need to know that. "They've got you pretty good, huh?" she asked, her mouth near his earhole.

"They use us against each other," he explained, "Slash and I."

She nodded. That sounded about right, after all, Battle was doing the same thing with her, wasn't he? She took a deep breath. "Do you know where Slash is now?"

Leatherhead nodded his great skull. "He's in... _training_."

"Training?" Phoenix asked, her stomach dropping.

"They control us through various means, to make us more effective," Leatherhead replied.

"Effective in what?" she whispered.

"Hey!" the guard yelled. "No talking!"

"How am I supposed to help him if we can't talk?" she snapped.

"Just fix him," the guard said.

Turning back to Leatherhead, she said, "We'll get out of this."

"They are more thorough than-"

He was cut off by a klaxon blaring about them. Phoenix winced from the noise, and even she could hear doors closing and locking in the distance.

The guard held his gun at the ready, looking down the corridor both ways. "Sir," he stood to attention.

Battle came into view, his hand held up to show the electro-controller in his fingers. "Come on, Phoebe," he said smoothly. "We have to get you back to your room."

"I'd rather stay here," she yelled over the noise.

Battle pressed the button, and Leatherhead jumped. "Now, Phoebe!"

She jumped up and scuttled to the cell door, glancing behind her at the giant mutant.

"I am alright," Leatherhead told her. "Go."

The cell clicked open, and to her chagrin, Leatherhead made no move to free himself. _Yeah, they've got you pretty good, my friend._ She exited, and Battle grabbed her arm and all but dragged her down the corridor. "Someone find their way in?" she asked, feeling a small shred of satisfaction.

"Maybe this is a drill," he smiled at her, but his grip tightened.

She tried to pay attention to where they were going, but the alarm going off was now accompanied by a red flashing light, and the entire array was disorienting. She imagined it was supposed to be. She wished, not for the first time, that she had a better sense of direction. She relied too much on her inner voice to direct her, or her memory of the city she'd lived in for the past almost 30 years. She had only been through these corridors once, on the way here, she gave up trying to memorize her way when the fourth turn looked the exact same as the other three.

"When is that going to turn off?" she yelled. Any information she could get would be useful, even if it was the directions to her friends holding cells.

"When it's time for it to turn off," he said, glancing at her sideways.

 _Dammit._ He was onto her. She could feel his fingers tighten even more on her arm, _He's worried._ This was something serious. This was a rescue attempt. She was sure of it. The sound of Anton's cry for his mother echoed in her memory, as did Battle's promise to her.

 _"I have some mutants that are not responding to our traditional medical treatments as quickly as we'd like," he'd said. "You will give them a boost."_

 _A boost. Like a shot of vitamins._

 _"Why?" she asked, not getting up off of the twin bed in her room._

 _"If you do this, then I will allow you to see your littlest son," he'd told her._

 _Not Yuuta. Her littlest son. He was a thing, not a person._

Battle's steps quickened as they approached the elevator. If she got in it, she'd lose all sense of where she was, and any chance she had at gaining any allies before the rest of her family came to help. It had to be her family that was here. And they had to worry about Yuuta and Anton, then Donnie. Not her.

"Henry," she said calmly. "You've forgotten something."

He glanced down at her disdainfully, his beautiful, amber eyes squinting. "Oh?"

"I know how to fight." She swept her leg up, the side of her sneakered foot ramming into his ribs. She felt the breath get knocked out of him as she finished the kick, and wrenched her arm free of his grip. Her hand struck out, heel of her palm flat against his temple, before she turned and ran in the direction they'd just come.

TSOTC

The lights flickered on and off, on- then stayed off, red bulbs flashed and an ear-splitting alarm began to sound. For a second Raph wasn't sure if he wasn't back at La Vida Loca during a rave night with bad techno. His lip curled. He hated rave nights. As he neared the last turn a bizarre sound joined the annoying alert.

Raph ground to a halt, backing against the wall just outside the range of flashing red. Michelangelo slid up beside him, leaned toward the side of Raph's head and whispered, "What's that noise?"

It was some kind of feral, howl or a mewl. Raph closed his eyes, willing his mind to ignore the alarm, searching for the animal noises – there were others sounds surrounding it, flesh blows, grunts, moans… and death gasps. The sound grew louder, a guttural hiss joining the chorus. "Sounds like a pissed off cat." Raph glanced at Mikey.

"Zoe." They said in unison.

Sai in-hand he barreled down the hall toward the cluster of uniformed guards. He stopped short when he saw her. His heart recognized her soul. But it wasn't right. His stomach bottomed out. There in the middle he caught glimpses of someone with short hair and elongated claws at the end of human fingers. Her arms, clothes, all of her was dripping in blood. Was it hers or theirs? Raph commanded himself forward, but wasn't sure he wouldn't be sick. Everything he feared, no, everything he knew would be – was. Her head was turned, facing the fresh group of troops marching toward her. A flash of blood splashed the walls as she slashed at the nearest guard's throat. Theirs.

"Raph!" Michelangelo yelled. "Snap out of it, Bro! We've got company!"

Soldiers had come up behind them blocking the way they'd come. Ahead Zoe was fighting and beyond her, new troops closed off the exit. How had they come up behind him? Why hadn't he heard them? Zoe's foot connected with the side of a man's head. The force of it lifted the skull from his spine and flopped over at a disgusting angle. Oh shit. His heart was pounding as his body refused to move.

"Raph!" Michelangelo screamed.

As if hearing something familiar, Zoe's head pivoted towards them. Something flickered in vacant eyes as she lifted her hand to wipe a spray of blood from her cheek. In those precious seconds soldiers grasped her by the arms. Meanwhile a rainstorm of pain began bombarding his extremities. It was like he was getting hit with a thousand stones.

Ahead, Zoe pulled her arms toward one another as if she were going to clap her hands, slamming the two men into each other.

Sensing more objects flying toward him he ducked and spun, wheeling around in time to see Michelangelo's foot flying into the side of a soldier's head. Raph glanced down at the black objects pelting his body. They bounced off him, falling to the floor. Rubber bullets? His gaze lifted, locking with the soldier firing at him. His jaw shifted, fingers curling around his sai as he aimed for the barrel, projecting his weapon into the end.

The grin on Raphael's lips was genuine as he strode toward the guard, now backing away. Raph reached out, snatched the gun and while freeing his sai, used the butt of it to knock the guy out. As the guard crumpled to the floor he caught glimpse of a familiar face in the tiny square window of the door beyond. "Slash?"

As Raph grappled with another guard, then another, his eyes drifted among the tiny windows, faces some familiar other not appeared. Slash was mouthing something. Anton? He knew where Anton was! Raphael's body moved reflexively, muscle memory was a great thing when there were so many distractions, so many questions to consider. How fucked up was Zoe? Would she even know him? She hadn't called his name? Had he called hers? What was Slash doing here? Where was Anton? When would the guards stop coming?

TSOTC

April darted down the hallway, closing in on Donnie. She could sense that he was just around the next turn, but it was so muffled and disconnected, he seemed much farther away. Around him she felt the presence of three others, two in front and one behind.

She adjusted her speed so that her arrival at the intersection coincided with the lead two reaching it. Throwing her tessen ahead of her, it ricocheted off the far wall to strike the further of the two enemies. From the sound of the scream, she'd hit a man.

When she followed her tessen around the corner, everyone was focused on the screeching guy with the metal fan embedded in his bicep. And he'd dropped his sidearm when he'd been hit. Bonus.

Her hand closed on the barrel of the uninjured soldier's gun, directing the bullet into the ceiling as he fired, belatedly struggling to react to her arrival. Her leather gloves protected her from heat and pinching as she blocked the slide from chambering another round. Then she thrust the blade of her free hand into his wrist while twisting the gun back towards her, careful not to aim it at herself. His bones snapped like dry twigs.

Jutting the elbow of her free hand into his throat, she cut off his scream just as it began and dropped him like a rock.

By now the other guard had pulled her tessen out of his arm and was going for the firearm that he'd dropped.

With a flick of her mind the gun went skittering across the industrial tile floor away from him.

Ripping the gun from the hand of the unconscious soldier as he fell, she rushed the remaining guard, ducking as he slashed out clumsily with her tessen.

As she dipped below the strike, she spun around, angling upward to ram the butt of the gun, which she held by the barrel, into his temple and pluck her tessen from him with her free hand.

He was already staggering back when she finished her rotation by burying her knee into his solar plexus. His eyes rolled back in his head and he fell.

Her attention now turned to the completely unperturbed woman standing behind Donnie who'd remained completely motionless since the fight had begun. April flung her tessen at the woman.

And Donnie snatched it out of the air before it could find its target.

With an invisible barrier walling her off from his thoughts and feelings and his nictitating lid down keeping her from reading his eyes, she could only wonder at why he was defending their enemy.

The woman was eyeing her thoughtfully as April jumped back, still holding the gun by the wrong end. Not that she could use it if Donnie was going to endanger himself protecting his captor.

"Let's bag her alive. It's ok if she's a little worse for wear. She'll still make a wonderful addition to our collection." The woman snapped her fingers and smiled cheerfully as she spoke.

And then Donnie attacked, slashing at her with her own tessen.

She was so shocked that she barely deflected the first blow with the handle of the gun, losing the firearm in the process as it went flying from her grip.

She let it go and weaved in and out of his swipes, drawing her dragon dagger to block any she couldn't dodge.

What was she going to do? Donnie was playing for keeps and she didn't even want to hurt him. The disadvantage kept her on a precarious defensive that could falter completely at any moment.

And then a blur of silver and purple slammed into Donnie, throwing him against the wall.

"Get it together O'Neil!" Karai sounded pissed. So, everything was normal.

"Rude." The woman pouted. "I guess you can kill the snake if you have to, but I'd certainly appreciate having that one too."

Karai glared at April, her serpentine pupils narrowing into slits. "Step up already. It's only Donnie."

If she had any more to safe, she couldn't get it out before Donnie was on her, tessen blade scraping across armored scales as she failed to completely evade his flurry of strikes.

"What the hell?"

Watching the battle, April agreed with Karai. Donnie always had the potential for such violence but tended to be inhibited by his natural disinclination to do harm. He didn't really want to hurt anyone and that often held him back. This...this wasn't him.

Karai had managed to flick the tessen free with her tail and was presently trying to bind Donnie with her coils and elastic arms, but he was too fast and able to predict her every move. She couldn't pin him down.

But the switch to grappling slowed the fight down enough for her to see it. The mind control implant embedded in the base of his neck. Just like the one the Kraang had put in her father. Once again, the most important person in her life had been turned into a weapon to use against her. Forced to betray her.

All the lights surrounding them in the hallway, shattered in a maelstrom of broken glass.

 _Snap. Snap._

There were a series of cracking sounds in the darkness and a pair of large glow-sticks fell to the ground at the feet of the woman commanding Donnie, illuminating the hallway with an eerie, orange glow.

"If you're going to do your psychic shit, make it useful psychic shit!" Karai yelled as Donnie slipped her grasp yet again.

That's right. Useful psychic powers.

Taking a deep breath, to quell her rage, she focused her mind on the implant. Not daring to break it, lest she injure him, she followed it into his mind, seeking the point where the technology connected with and overtook his nervous system. With great care, she mentally wrapped a barrier over that connection, separating Donnie from the device.

Donnie faltered and Karai entangled him.

"He's ok. I got." April called out, feeling the blood drip from her nose. This was going to cost her later, but it would be worth it.

Karai gave a sharp nod and released Donnie, who sagged to the floor. Shedding smaller snakes as she went, Karai moved to strike at the woman.

Unfortunately, the woman had seen the tide of battle shift and was already throwing down what looked like a ball bearing as she fled. It hit the ground, exploding into a cloud of smoke.

Really? Using a smoke bomb on mutant ninjas?

April was quickly forced to eat that derision as the noxious fumes hit her nostrils, burning away her sense of smell and almost breaking the concentration that currently kept Donnie free. In front of her Karai and Donnie were collapsed and gagging.

With careful precision and great effort, April maintained her hold on Donnie while pushing the toxic cloud away from them. It was the mental equivalent of balancing spinning plates.

Karai staggered to her feet, having reverted to human form in her distress. "Dammit!"

"Did she get away?" April asked through gritted teeth.

Karai shook her head. "I think I tagged her with one of my snakes. It's a weaker venom though."

"What?" If the woman made it far enough to get reinforcements, they were in an extremely vulnerable position.

Karai scowled at her. "I'm sorry I didn't have time to cook up the strong stuff while I was busy saving your ass."

"Less fighting. More helping." Donnie interrupted, struggling to his knees. "Karai, do you have your lock picks?"

"Yeah." She pulled out a small pouch of metal implements.

"Good. Because I'm going to walk you through getting this thing out if my head."

TSOTC

Leo bolted after his father, aware that it was only the two of them darting down the passage ways. He could see Splinter's ears moving, some only micro-movements, others his entire ear swiveling. He wasn't entirely sure what his father was hearing, but it was obviously something important. The rat did not pause at any of the intersections, and while it occasionally seemed as if they were backtracking, the mutant rat moved with certainty of purpose. When he dropped to all fours and began to pick up speed, Leo realized that he was not going to be able to keep up with him.

"Sensei!" he called at Splinter's thrashing tail. Splinter turned a corner, and as Leo rounded, he came to a stop before running into the back of the mutated rat.

At the end of the corridor was a door, and two armed guards stood by it.

"How the hell did you get out of your enclosure?" asked one of the guards.

"A turtle, I thought the science team had him," said the second.

Splinter and Leo looked at each and the rat sighed heavily, as if badly done to.

Leo didn't even time to move before his father was at the guards with a long jump. The turtle dodged two bullets as the men fired, nowhere near hitting their assailant, or Leo at the end of the hall. Splinter's tail lashed out, toppling one of the men before his clawed feet hit the ground. The other was palmed in the throat, his head thrust backward as he clutched at his neck. As he hit the wall and slid down it, straining to try to breathe through his crushed wind pipe, the second man regained his footing. The rat ninja master swung out his leg, his bare foot colliding with the man's head, sending him crashing to the wall, where the fell like a lump, unconscious if he was lucky, dead if he wasn't.

All of his happened before Leo could reach his father at the end of the hall.

"Donatello is in the science department, they said," Leo reiterated.

Splinter nodded as he bent down and dealt with the lock in front of him. "I imagine that April sensed that, which is why she changed course."

How did his father know these things, and stay so serene about it all? Whenever the leader of the Ninja Turtles (he really needed to work on changing that name in the media, now that it was much more than turtles) thought that he approaching his father in knowledge and skill, the old rat came up with something new to knock him down a peg.

The door clicked, and they opened it quickly, hoping the element of surprise was still on their side, with noise blocked by the heavy concrete walls and metal doors. It was, as they entered an open area, filled with cages on both sides. Directly ahead of them was a glass window that showed a large laboratory...the bright lights illuminated a tiny turtle figure strapped to a table.

Splinter let out a roar, one that Leo had only heard a few times in his life, and took to the air as if he had wings toward the window.

Guards turned toward them, as if in one motion, each of them having a long stick with a forked end. All of them began to arc with electricity, not bullets were fired. Leo's brain, as always when he was combat, strategized, contemplated, before it went blank in the heat of battle. _They must feel it is too dangerous or secluded to have projectile weapons in here._ He wasn't sorry, it made them easy targets.

They raised their wants at the sprinting rat mutant as he flew down the hallway, all of them striking at thin air where Splinter had been only a moment before.

Leo began his own run to join the fight, when one of the men ran over to a cage and pressed a button to open it. A huffing noise, similar to the kind his brother Aries let loose, came from the enclosure right before a huge bull mutant, foaming at the mouth and nose, clomped out. He turned towards Leo.

"Ah, sewer apples," he muttered.

Splinter reached the window, leapt into the air once again, his legs aimed at the glass in a double footed kick. He hit it with a bang, and then fell to the floor with the glass completely undamaged.

TSOTC

As Raph's mind reeled with questions, the clopping of hooves and a furious snort echoed through the corridor. Then on the other end, Leo appeared, leaping into the air above the very guards now peeling away like a zipper, allowing a bull mutant to charge through.

Zoe was finishing off another guard when a smoke pellet bounced across the floor filling the hall with purple smoke. One of theirs.

"That's our cue to skee-daddle!" Mikey sang.

"But-" Raph tried to see Zoe and Leo, neither of which were visible. He dropped down by an incapacitated guard, felt around his pocket and stole his ID and security pass. The plumes of smoke, choked him as he approached Slash's cell. He didn't know where Zoe, Leo, or Mikey were at the moment but he'd guess they'd vacated the corridor.

A black key fab was lit up with red lights outside Slash's cell. Raph waved the badge, but nothing happened. His eyes were burning from the smoke. It would dissipate soon. He had to get them out. Better all at once than one at a time. There had to be a central command. Had they mentioned that earlier?

A hand came down on his shoulder and Raph grabbed it, ready to twist and flip when he realized it was Leo's. "Come on, Raph! We've got to go!"

"But Slash!" Raph protested, reaching for his sai and plunging it into the lock. He yanked it out, driving it in again, before it hissed and the door popped.

Slash busted into the hall as the smoke began to clear. "Go! Antonello and Yuuta are that way! I'll hold them off!"

Raph wanted to argue, but at the same time he'd lost sight of Zoe and had to get Anton. He nodded at his friend, turned and ran after his brother.

It wasn't far to go before they were on a room full of glass cages, some with exam tables, some like terrariums. His lip curled.

He scanned the area, saw his father facing a glass cage while holding Michelangelo back. "I can help her!" Mikey protested.

"No, Michelangelo!" His father yelled. "Do not go near her! She will not recognize you!"

His gaze shifted to the left where Zoe was holding up a dead somebody in a lab coat, waving their face in front of a scanner. There were bleeps of confirmation then the glass withdrew and she tossed the body aside, charging into the room.

Sensei grabbed the body and scampered to the next cage, repeating the process.

"Raph! We've got company!" Leo yelled.

But Raphael was being drawn in like a tape measure, every centimeter bringing him closer to where his insane mate was snapping restraints that bound their son then drawing him into her blood-covered arms. Anton hadn't looked so tiny to him since he was born. And his mate had never looked more feral.

As Raph entered the chamber, he holstered his sai, watching as Zoe withdrew to a corner of the room, Anton in her arms. Her eyes were completely feline, a terrible growl rising up from her gut.

"Easy, Z. It's me." Raph coaxed, inching his way closer. "C'mon, let's get you two outta here while we can."

"Dad?" Anton squirmed in her arms, twisting so he could see him. "Dad! Dad! Somethin's wrong with Mom! I'm so glad you're here! Can we go home now? I wanna go home!"

Tears streamed Anton's cheeks and Raph's gaze shifted to the fight taking place just on the other side of the glass. Damn it to shell. "I know, buddy an we're ready to go." He looked at Zoe. This was a whole new level of gone. His stomach churned. Please be in there. Please.

Then it hit him, she had to be in there somewhere because she came for Anton. Straight to him. And had the sense to get the door open, even knew how. "Z, it's me." He shrugged as he motioned to Anton. "Y'know the guy that gave ya that little guy. An Uh, it's time ta go home now. So-"

"Hurry it up, Raph!" Leo yelled.

Seconds later a green and orange body went flying across the room, hitting the wall with a thud. Michelangelo moaned, and Zoe placed Anton on the ground. Holding him against her, she slid him behind her back, her eyes shifting between a heap of Mikey and a lingering Raphael.

"Z, let's go home. It's time ta go. Can ya spend some of that fight helpin' us get the shell out of here?" Raph didn't move as Zoe inched closer to the door.

Mikey on the other hand was collecting himself. "Hey, Sis-"

Zoe's claws extended.

"Mikey, no! Don't move!" Raph yelled as his brother stood.

Too late.

Zoe released Anton and in a fraction of a second, she was airborne towards Michelangelo's head. Raph launched into the air, soaring in front of his brother in time to feel Zoe's claws rip across his shoulder. The two became a tangled mess, Raph dodging blows, catching scratches, Zoe hissing and spitting. She was agile before, now as he tried to grapple with her, desperate to either restrain her or get her off him, she was downright elastic. "Mikey!" He managed to shout, "Get Anton and go!"

"But-" Mikey croaked.

"Go!" Raph shouted as Zoe's claws caught on the edge of his plastron. "Damn it, Zoe! Get-offa-me!" He didn't want to hurt her, in fact they might need her, but she wasn't messin' around. Her head lifted, pivoted toward the door. Oh shit! "Mikey, run!"

Zoe sprang off him, a blur of tiny, vicious cat-woman and one seriously pissed mom. Raph scrambled to his feet, feeling the sting of his wounds, blood dripping down his plastron as he ran after her straight for Michelangelo.

Guards charged him, blocking his way. Raph reached for his sai. "Mikey!" He yelled over the crash of bodies, his father with Yuuta in his arms clearing their way with strikes and kicks, Leo stabbing and slicing, Mikey weaving his way toward the door. "Give him back to her!"

Michelangelo glanced over his shoulder, eyes wide as Zoe slaughtered everyone in her way to get to her son.

"Give him back!" Raph roared, stabbing a guard in the gut then kicking another in his face, only five more until he reached them. Make that three after Zoe was through. The numbers were thinning.

Mikey seemed to understand. Right as Zoe tossed aside the last body, Raph stealthed up behind her. His little brother extended his arms and guided Anton to her. "Come on, Sis. It's me. Your favorite brother."

Zoe snatched Anton up, one hand on his carapace the other extended ready to strike.

"Mikey," Raph whispered, his breath trapped in his throat. "I need ya ta turn shell and run. Find either Aries or Donnie. We're either gonna have ta drug her or take her by force."

Zoe stiffened, and Raph saw the hair on her neck, crusted in blood, raise. Her head tipped down and ever so slightly toward him. She was listening. Good. He extended one arm, stepping into a fighting stance as he beckoned her to him. He'd just keep working her toward the exit and set tin' her loose on anyone that got in their way. "Come on, Z. Show me what ya got."

There was only so much she could do with one hand on Antonello. Yet in two steps her foot was connecting with the side of his face.

TSOTC

Aries pounded down the hallway, mentally cursing...well everyone. They'd all cut and run. In different directions. April had veered off some time ago, Karai's absence likely indicating that someone other than the girls was having a very bad day.

And then, of course, Splinter had gradually lost his shit, sprinting ahead of everyone else. And what did Leader Leo do? Did he keep with his back up, the only back up that hadn't impulsively abandoned him? No. He took off after daddy at top speed in a weird metaphoric parody of their real-life relationship.

And so, they'd left him in their dust. He wasn't slow, by any metric. They were just freakishly fast. Jerks.

The hallway opened up into the atrium of a sci-fi, prison-type area. He had to give it to them that they didn't scrimp on their props, fancy blinking lights and everything.

On the plus side, he'd finally caught up to Leo who was currently slipping in and out of a crowd of bumbling minions armed with some sort of cattle prods. Not entirely inappropriate as an actual minotaur, straight out of freaking mythology, was advancing on his high bossiness.

At some point the guards got fed up with electrocuting each other in vain attempts to get Leo and moved aside to let the bull mutant through, stamping in impatience to get at his prey.

Leo charged forward, sliding beneath the swipe of a meaty fist. Drawing both swords, he slashed out wide with the intent of severing the minotaur's hamstrings.

The blades skittered harmlessly off its tough hide. Leo froze for a fraction of a second in disbelief. That's all it took.

The minotaur reached around and snatched Leo by the leg. Aries winced as Leo, swung like a flail, smashed shell first into the ground.

Later, after they were all safe and out of here, he'd cherish the memory of that moment, saving it to bring up every time Leo got too high and mighty with the rest of them and needed to be taken down a peg.

In all that, Leo somehow managed to maintain a grip on his swords. On the rebound, he stabbed both points into the minotaur's hand, causing it to release him with a howl. Leo kicked off the larger mutant, landing in a roll towards a crowd of guards blocking the far hallway.

The minotaur gave chase and Aries charged after them both as Leo ran towards the guards with their readied shock batons.

Leo leapt into the air and flipped right over the line of opponents who threw themselves to either side, desperate not to be stampeded.

Aries caught up just in time to see Mikey ahead of all of them in the hallway. Already midair and twirling around, Mikey whipped two objects towards the ground.

Aries hooked the head of his battle-axe around the minotaur's ankle, tripping it and being ripped off his feet for the effort. As he flew forward to skid across the tiled floor after the minotaur, everything disappeared into a purple haze. "Damn ninja smoke bombs!"

"Aries?" Leo called out from somewhere ahead of him.

"Go on. Save them. I got this one."

He was probably going to regret this.

A shift in air pressure warned him of the impending strike and he got his axe up in time for the steel haft to prevent a mutant bull fist from caving in his chest. As it was, he flew several feet, landing on his back. At least he was out of the smoke cloud now.

With an enraged snort, the minotaur charged him, horns aimed to impale.

Aries stood his ground, waiting until the absolute last second before rolling aside.

The minotaur ran passed him, plowing into the wall in a burst if broken cement, leaving a dent in the steel beyond.

While it was still shaking off chunks of concrete, Aries swung his axe, slamming the blade into the mutant's back. Too shallow. Shit. What was this thing made of?

It's fist connected with his head, backhanding him almost to the hallway again as it spun around with roar.

He scrabbled about frantically for his axe as it stomped towards him.

Then a massive blur of dark green barreled passed him, plowing the minotaur over. It was Slash, wearing a huge shock collar. Ramming his spikey shoulders into the mutant bull, they both fell.

Aries found his axe laying not far to his left. He rolled to it, snatching it up as he regained his footing.

Slash was grappling the minotaur and gradually losing.

Choking up his grip on the axe, Aries charged in, screaming a battle-cry. Two-handed, he swung the axe down, full force onto the minotaur's head, splitting its skull and sending jarring waves of pain reverberating up his arms.

Aries wrenched his axe free on the bull mutant's twitching body. "Thanks for the assist."

"Anytime." Slash replied, breathing heavily.

Michelangelo stumbled towards them, bleeding and more than a little freaked out.

"What happened to you?" Aries snorted.

Mikey glanced back nervously. "Z is a little cattier than usual. Raph's trying to get her to recognize him."

Zoe didn't recognize Raph? That was not good.

As though he could read thoughts, Mikey slapped on an encouraging smile. "S'not all bad. She knows Anton."

No. That would just make her a more viscous, feral mama, defending her offspring. She needed to acknowledge someone else, otherwise they had a problem.

Slash glanced indecisively between the direction Mikey had come from and another hallway.

"What is it?" They didn't need any more setbacks.

"I was on my way to free Leatherhead...but Raphael..." Slash oscillated between the two warring loyalties.

Mikey's eyes widened. "LH is here too?" Now he was looking back and forth. Slash's indecision appeared to be catching.

It wasn't a good sign when he had to be the one to take charge. "You two get Leatherhead. I'll help Raph with Zoe."

Not waiting for their acknowledgement, he took off in the direction that Mikey had fled from. He was definitely going to regret this.


	68. Chapter 67

Medusa strained to stay behind her brother, adrenaline coursing through her body. The bear as on all fours, but even so, Medusa could have easily overtaken him. However, Arcos' sense of smell was second to none. Flicking her tongue out, she couldn't taste very much except the remnants of firepower, the ozone of electronics, and the dampness behind the concrete walls that denoted they were underground. Arcos could obviously smell something she couldn't, either that or he was running blind, and her brother was much too calm to do that.

They ran down hallway after hallway, passing door after door. Arcos' head moved as he ran, looking at one door as if it were open, and then skidded to a stop, sliding half way down the hall with his forward momentum. He turned back to it, standing up as he ran, and rammed his shoulder into it, bursting it open.

The smell of blood permeated the room, and a quick glance showed it came from the pool slowly growing under Sappho's frame. There was a huge amount of it, more than Medusa thought a person could produce. The smell was nauseating, she clamped her mouth shut.

Arcos let out a roar, like one she seldom heard from him. It was not his normal battle cry, but a shout of rage. His brown eyes had a fire behind them as he lifted his sledge hammer and ran at the robot-man standing at the other side of the room.

Medusa leapt over to Sappho, trying to avoid the puddle of blood and being unsuccessful. She wracked her brain for what to do. She glanced back at Arcos, who seemed to have the battle with his opponent well under hand. _What do you do for wounds like this?_ With each heart-beat, the pool of blood got bigger, and the giant snake felt tears come to her eyes. _Cauterize the wound,_ she thought. But she didn't have anything to cauterize it with. She thought back hard to the war, how had they dealt with these kinds of injuries back then?

Put pressure on the wound!

With a swiftness that belied her size, Medusa swept Sappho up in her coils, wrapping around her as if she were squeezing her prey to death. She could feel the warm wet leaking onto her scales, and she squeezed harder, feeling the flesh of Sappho's body give under the pressure. _She just has to hold out until they find my mother,_ she thought. If she was even here.

Turning to Arcos, she saw that Sappho had already done quite a number on the cyborg. His face had the skin ripped off a section of it, revealing the metal skeleton underneath. The false eye, just a camera, hung limply.

Arcos swung his sledgehammer, missing by a long shot as K2 dodged, despite his mangled body. The weapon hit the wall, sending bits of concrete exploding about the room.

K2 struck out with his good arm, hitting Arcos in the side he'd left exposed in the recovery of his swing. It sent the bear into the wall. K2 let out a flying kick, but Arcos rolled away before it struck him. The cyborg's foot left a matching dent in the concrete, the debris bouncing off of his metal skeleton with little tinkling sounds.

Arcos settled his sledgehammer again, swinging it in an uppercut. It was still uncontrolled, anger obviously getting the better of him. K2 dodged once more, then dropped to a squat, punching Arcos several times in the stomach, his arm moving in a blur. He doubled over, and K2 kneed him in the chin on his way back to standing, sending Arcos sprawling on his back.

Medusa could see that Arcos was losing. While keeping her grip on Sappho, she couldn't join in the fight. Her body was too preoccupied. Reflexively she reached for her whip at her side. She gasped against Sappho's body as she realized that her hands were free. "Hey, loverboy!" she called, slithering forward using her lower body, "Looks like you need a whipping!" She struck out with the lash, K2 turning to her as she spoke, what was left of his face completely blank. Her whip wrapped around his arm, cutting into the false flesh. No blood came from the wound, and the cyborg was able to easily jerk it out of her grasp.

It was the distraction that Arcos needed. He groaned as he got up, K2 turning from the snake to look at him, just as the bear's sledgehammer made contact with his torso. With a sickening crunch of bone breaking, K2's rib cage collapsed, his remaining eye going wide as he fell to the floor. Once he hit it, Arcos raised the hammer over his head and brought it crashing down on the cyborg's skull.

He turned then to his sister, concern written all over his soft features. "Is she alive?" he asked, his voice higher than normal.

Medusa nodded. "But I don't know for how long."

"We have to find Mama," Arcos breathed, heading to the door.

Medusa was on his heels. Even slowed down by Sappho's body, she could keep with his four-legged run, though she doubted she could overtake him like she normally could.

TSOTC

Denim was going to be in trouble. Big. Trouble. She knew it the second the apartment door shut behind Mikey and she'd paced their living room, then their open closet, eyeing certain boxes and bags. Her heart had pounded, a sick churning in her stomach. She'd promised.

She'd promised.

She knew she shouldn't.

But- Mikey was off to real battle without her for the first time in she didn't know how long, and she had a terrible sinking feeling in her gut. The kind that she'd ignored before and regretted later. Then again, she'd promised she wouldn't do this again.

Promised him.

Knew she was in for it, as she dressed, exchanging her impossible bodysuit for black leggings that were still a bit too snug over her belly, but workable, a tight fitting black tank that had her noticing just how prominent her pregnancy was becoming.

She didn't even know if she could talk her way out of this one. But she knew something else too. If any choice she made saved Mikey's life, or the life of someone in their family, then it was worth it. She could live with that.

He'd been reluctant to leave her in the first place, but their family needed him and knowing how it felt to be separated from her child she wanted nothing more than for their family to be whole. And stay that way.

She'd paced the inside of the closet, palms sweating, fingers rubbing against them as if they could feel the cool steel resting in the cup of them. She'd packed her bag, dressed, loaded her weapons, checked their safety… then she'd dropped Alli at Connie's, ignoring her mother's thousand questions about her condition. "Just how pregnant are you? Is that Michelangelo's baby? Are you crazy, you could die!" Then a frantic, "Are you going to die? And, what happened to your arm? And your face? What is going on Denim? Where's Michelangelo?"

She hadn't answered a single inquiry.

And there she was chewing on her lip as she eyed her spot, above the compound, frowning at the tracker she'd jacked from the warehouse, the GPS having directed her to the location of the family van. Mikey was going to be pissed. She controlled her breaths, rest a hand over her belly, felt a comforting squirm that warmed her insides, then adjusted the heat-detection of her customized scope.

Her tranquilizer gun was by her side, ready to go, but it was Pretty II, her newest sniper rifle, that she'd reached for. She'd lost one love tonight, she wasn't about to lose another. No one would even know she was there if she never had to take a shot, but if she did it had to be worth whatever she'd face when she got home.

One by one a line of black vans drove up on the building, encircling it. Troops poured out, entering entry points at all sides. Denim's hands began to shake. No. No. No. Four of them encircled her family's van, one yanking off the door with superhuman strength. Denim's eyes stung with tears. Fuck. She had to get her family out of there. Warn them.

Her jaw trembled as she peered through the scope, adjusted for underground vision, a unique capability she had the combined efforts of Donnie and Aries both to thank for. Quickly, she identified and counted her family members. The fight wasn't going well, Sappho dying, Zoe fighting her own family, and everyone spread out all over the place. Worst of all, Denim swallowed bile, worst of all was the number of enemies now moving in on them, shutting off escape routes.

She reached in her bag, for the ear piece calibrated so that once she turned it on she'd be able to hear the fight… and they'd know she was online. She exhaled long and slow. Steady breath. Steady hands. Having Mikey and the rest of them mad at her was worth it if it got them out of this alive. And one thing she wasn't willing to lose was another loved one. Period. Licking her lips, she depressed the button, slipped the earpiece in her canal and peered through her scope.

"Nobody freak out on me, okay," she began-

Every single head jerked then spoke in unison, some out of breath, others in a gasp or grunt. "Denim?!"

"Be mad later. You guys need outside eyes right now." She was quick to reply. "Besides, I'm safe, and nowhere near the building." A tiny lie, she'd had to get closer than she'd liked because the scope could only see underground from the building adjacent. Several voices attempted to either scold, redirect or curse at her but she talked over them. "Listen! Every single one of your exits has just been shut off. Apparently, their cavalry just arrived. They surrounded the building and are entering through the exits."

"How many?" Leo asked in a low cool tone.

Denim counted the vans. Two per exit, ten soldiers per van, one exit per side. Twelve exits. "About a hundred and twenty troops, some with extraordinary strength."

She located Arcos and Medusa's path. Sappho in the most urgent need of escape. Arcos fast approaching the end of the hall, one filling with enemies. Lining up her shot, she aimed for the front line first. Maybe she could scare them into abandoning the hall. "Arcos, I'm clearing your way first. Then Leo, Splinter, yours next. Sappho's in bad shape, she needs Phoenix like right now and you're not actually that far apart. And before anything else happens," she spoke fast, "we may lose contact, our van's been compromised. Hell, our line may be compromised right now." Picking a front-line soldier, she squeezed the trigger, felt the recoil through her shoulder like a hammer, something she hadn't experienced in years. Then again, she'd not usually been tortured before a fight. She'd _physically_ pay for this later. _Emotionally_ \- if Mikey couldn't forgive her. She pushed the thought away, aimed for a second soldier in the middle, fired again forcing space between them. They'd be easier for Arcos and Medusa to pick apart that way. She picked another one in the back as they began to scramble.

"Not to burst your bubble of anything, Denim, but if the lines been compromised then you've been compromised!" Raphael yelled then let out a grunt. "Ow, damn-it, Z come on already!"

Her gaze darted to Mikey, where he and Slash were working their way toward the command center, the same direction as Leo and Splinter. He was looking in her direction like he knew, but there was no way he could, but like he knew where she was. Redirecting her focus she checked on Arcos, Medusa and Sappho, coming up from the other side. Soldiers blocked the space between them. "I'm fine!" Denim insisted, more for Mikey's benefit than anything. "Focus on freeing all those contained mutants and hybrids and I think we can turn the tables on them." She eyed the other wing of the hall. "April, Karai, Donnie, if I take out the control room will that open the doors? Cause if you get Phoenix out of there, I've got a small missile that will do the job."

TSOTC

The moment Denim's voice echoed over the line, Mikey stumbled to a halt. She was here. Panic choked him. No. He and Alli had just gotten her back. They couldn't lose her now.

"What's wrong?"

Slash's voice cut through his fear and he tried to formulate a response. "Denim's on the com. She's here. She's..."

Slash cocked his head to the side. "You guys are communicating? Cuz it seemed like you were all running around with your heads up your asses. No offense."

Right. When had their coms started working? He should probably be more concerned about that, but he couldn't stop staring down the hallway from which they'd come as though Denim would appear before him.

Then Karai's cursing cut off into Donnie's voice. "Unless you have an answer ready, I need it. Denim, it's Don. Yes, it might unlock the doors, or lock them permanently or have no effect at all. Raph solutions are essentially roulette."

They'd found Donnie. That might have something to do with their restored coms.

"Hey, there's nuthin' wrong with the way I... dammit Z, it's me!"

Donnie kept going as though Raph hadn't spoken. "Besides, it's a moot point. Unless you're packing a rocket-powered bunker buster, you'll never breach their defenses. Not only is the whole facility subterranean, it's all reinforced steel. I'll head to the command center..."

"No." Leo's commanding voice returned to the line. "There's no time to switch up the teams and I need April to find mom and get her to Sappho."

"On it." April responded, sounding tired but determined.

"Aries, are you near the command..." Leo started.

"Fuck! Get her off me!" Aries voice accompanied by a rumbling growl cut him off. A loud hiss faded away and, panting, Aries answered. "No. Ask Mikey and Slash. They were headed that way."

Right. LH. He was s'posed to be saving him. But Denim...

"...ikey! Mikey!"

"Yeah, I'm here, Leo." His tongue felt thick in his throat as he responded.

"Get to the command center and open those doors. Donnie will walk you through."

Donnie groaned.

"All teams fall back when you complete your objectives. We are pulling out. Denim, cover us. First team available, reinforce Denim."

Mikey swallowed hard. She was out there. Alone.

Slash's heavy hand landed on his shoulder. "Michelangelo?"

He ripped his phone and Bluetooth audio component off and shoved it at Slash. "Get to the command center. Donnie will help you open the doors. Grab LH and get out. You guys can catch a ride home with us."

"What?" Slash sputtered.

"Tell LH I'm sorry, but I gotta go to Denim."

He didn't wait for an answer before taking off running.

TSOTC

Phoenix ran down the hallway, grabbing the large door and pulling it open. It hit the wall with a clatter, threatening to close on her as she dashed through. She knew she had only minute more likely seconds to get the cages open. She approached what look like a control pad as Leatherhead stuck at head out of his bars.

"Why are you back here?"he asked with his gravelly voice.

"Getting you out," she answered, trying to pry the numeral cover off.

"Get yourself out," he growled.

"Not without you, old friend," she snapped, letting out a getting of frustration as her fingers slid from the sides of the pad.

Warmth spread through Leatherhead's chest as she worked to free him. She was a good soul. That was why she couldn't be risked saving him. "I have survived worse. You must run."

Her face became a mask of stubborn determination. She wouldn't be moved. He couldn't say he was surprised. It was her way. The only thing for it was to speed her task then.

He stepped back as she struggled with the control module. Then charged forward, slamming his body into the wall, denying the thick steel outward and splitting the keypad like ripe fruit.

The cells defenses surged pulses of electricity into his howling body, over and over, refusing to let him go. More than he expected.

He had to stay conscious. She couldn't move him and wouldn't leave him. He must...the cell faded out into nothingness.

TSOTC

Denim could multi-task like a pro when one arm wasn't casted and awkward, it made reloading her weapon a bitch. Pains and exhaustion, she could push aside like the very emotional Hell that brought her to back to the battle in the first place. But throw a bulky object around her arm and let it limit her finger movement- Well now that was annoying. Exhaling through ground teeth, she managed her task with some difficulty, then peered through her scope checking for each family member; prepared to defend the most urgent.

Her com was filled with fight chatter, smack talk, grunts, oompfs and other familiar sounds. Her eyes swept over each head then someone seemed to be moving in the wrong direction. She could tell by his gate, it was Mikey. Slash was going in the opposite direction. That wasn't right.

She hadn't planned on trying to talk to him until later, when this whole thing was over. But- She traced his path, farther ahead in the direction he was moving. Her eyes widened. No. No. In two rights, the only turns he could take, there were no other options, he would be at a dead end. The exit hall was flooded with enemy troops. "Mikey!" She screamed. "Mikey, what are you doing?"

Leo cursed internally. If Mikey wasn't answering Denim it meant he'd somehow managed to get himself offline. And her tone suggested that running blind was not going well.

"Mikey, respond. Now."

"He gave me his phone and ran off." Slash's voice rumbled over the line. "I'm getting Leatherhead and the others out."

Leo sighed. Of course, he did. When did he ever expect his brother to do as told? Not that anyone was this mission.

"If you're doing that, then what's Mikey doing?"

"He's heading straight into an ambush." Denim answered in a strained voice.

Would it kill his brother to think before acting for a change?

"I'll back him up. Guide me there."

Denim's gaze shifted from Mikey to where Leo was. There was a small concentration of family members in that same area, Splinter, Raph, Aries and Zoe, with Arcos, Medusa and Sappho headed their way. On the opposite end of the building was Slash running toward the cell blocks that connected to the command center in the middle, on the opposite side from that were Donnie, April and Karai heading toward him. Mikey was running away from everyone!

"Denim, guide me to him." Leo repeated.

"Ya, know," Raph grunted, "He's probably coming to save you, Preggers. Ya shouldn't be here." Denim felt the sting of his words, before Raph blurted out his next ones. "But- Zoe, come _on_ already- since ya are here- ya packin' tranqs?"

"I didn't come here for him to save," she groaned. "I'm here to help and yes I did, but-" She aimed, for a soldier mid-pack in Leo's way, and fired. "With the underground, steel-reinforced structure of this place, I'm afraid I'm playing for keeps right now. It's a job for Pretty II." She cleared the drained shard of Kraang crystal from her chamber, aimed and fired again. "Sorry, Leo I know you don't like that. Necessary evil and all that. Now, if you'll just run towards the twenty-something guys ascending on you, Mikey's two lefts down on the other side and I'm-" she emptied her chamber and fired again. "gonna clear your way."

Splinter listened intently to the conversation going on in his ear, saying nothing. Then running up to Aries side, he thrust Yuuta into his chest, next to where the ram was carrying Antonello. "Take him," Splinter commanded. "I will go help Slash."

Yuuta let out a little squeak as Aries' large hand cupped his bottom his thumb around the base of his tail as if to keep him in place.

He glanced at the little boy, then veered down another hallway, leaving the group.

"Is Mama not with you?" Arco asked into his Arcos asked into his com to anyone who was listening. He really had no idea where he was going, he was simply going in the direction he _thought_ was the way out.

"She's not with us," Aries answered. "And the old man just took off!"

"Do we even know where she is?" Medusa asked. "Sappho needs her, like yesterday."

TSOTC

Zoe was stalking Aries, claws extended, eyes wild. Raph, seeing his sons absolute fear of his mother's state of mind, or lack thereof, had distracted his feral mate long enough for Aries to grab his son. The second Zoe realized what he'd done she came at Raph hard. His shoulders and arms were criss-crossed in claw marks and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep her back without hurting her.

"She's not in this hall!" Raph yelled, weaving and countering Zoe, as he worked to stay between her and Aries.

"Give me back my son!" She hissed.

Then Denim's voice filled Raph's head. "Aries, Arcos, Medusa, and Raph, you've got company coming up from your north. Unfortunately, that's the way you want to go. Phoenix is on the other side. Donnie, April, and Karai your path is blocked from the South, the direction you need to go. Once you break through you'll all be in the same hall as Phoenix and the captives. It looks like we've lost every exit and- shit- Mikey- Leo, hurry! Guys I've got to cover Leo, I'm sorry-"

10\. Leo turned a corner to a hall painted in dripping red, just in time for the last soldier to explode. He brought up his arm quickly enough to shield his face, but the rest of him splattered in slick chunks of flesh and sticky flecks of bone.

Things like designing and constructing Pretty II made him question Donnie and Aries's judgement. Who builds stuff like that?

Trying not to breathe through his nose, he locked away the part of his mind currently gibbering and heaving. Compartmentalization was key to getting missions done. He could have nightmares about this later.

Trying very hard not to think about what he was running though, he pushed forward.

"You're almost there, Leo." Denim's voice sounded in his ear, giving him a quick run-down on everyone's position. With an ally in place, she had to shoot with caution, because the force blast didn't stop when it hit its target. Useful when enemies lined themselves up, but a hazard when friendlies were in the mix.

Two pinning Mikey, one aiming a rifle at his baby brother, four with guns at the ready in a loose triangle formation between him and the impending execution and another five spread out along the walls.

Throwing a couple smoke bombs ahead of him, he charged in. While the edge soldiers, burst around him like detonated watermelons, he pulled his swords from their scabbards.

Sliding in the the back row, facing away from him, his slashed wide wide with his left, hamstringing them, then completed the spin to slice open their spines with his right as they fell in three, relatively silent, near-decapitations.

Lunging forward, he swung his left arm back, opening the throat of the remaining watcher with a bloody spray, while thrusting his right blade up into the the back of the executioner's skull, piercing the tip of the blade out through the gunman's face. The man dropped his rifle, quivering his death throes as Leo pulled his sword free.

The remaining two soldiers scrambled to react in the clearing smoke. A mistake. The moment they released Mikey, his brother, in what looked like a breakdancing move, whipped his legs out and spun on his shell, taking them out at the ankles.

Before they'd finished falling onto their backs, Leo was between them, bringing both swords down in a coup de gras to their throats.

He withdrew the sword-tips, and quickly wiped the blood from his blades on the soldiers' tactical vests before sheathing them.

Mikey looked passed him, swallowing hard as he took in the carnage.

Denim's voice was back in Leo's ear. "More coming from your rear left. I'm taking them out, but there's a lot."

"Guide us out." Gripping Mikey's shoulder, he pulled his brother to his feet. "We need to move."

TSOTC

Slash burst into the command center and the two technicians seated there, spun to face him, mouths open in o's of surprise. Before they could react to his entrance, he charged towards them, cracking his heads together with his massive hands and letting them fall.

He looked at the control panel and frowned. Below a wall of screens of surveillance and incomprehensible monitoring feedback lay a panel that was one long tablet full of buttons or apps or whatever they were. What was he supposed to do with any of this?

"Donnie, it's Slash. I'm in the command center. What do I do?"

He waited through the rest of the chatter, but the only part that sounded remotely like Donnie was some muffled screaming.

Crap. What now?

Denim checked their options again. "Okay. Leo, you've got a choice to make. You can go back the way you came, that's two rights now, and join up with everyone else, or you and Mikey can push through the other end of this hall out the exit. There's at least another dozen soldiers on either end. Oh, shit-"

Commotion through her scope, near Donnie, April and Karai, paired with screaming, drowned out the feed. Denim studied the shape of the creature holding Donatello in the air by his face. Then it clicked. "Oh shit! Leo, you guys have to go back! Leatherhead is shaking Donnie by the face! Mikey has to get there like now!"

Unable to help them she then directed her scope to the other half of her family. "Raph, Aries, and Arcos push that front line back so they're close together, then if you get Zoe out of the fight, she'll be in the safety zone. Then I can take out that line of soldiers in your way. Once everyone is clear, brace yourselves, this is going to be a little messy."

TSOTC

Phoenix rolled into the hallway, joining Karai with April on her back and in her arms, drawing back her makeshift slingshot. "What happened?" she asked, as she let a nut fly through the air. It hit a soldier in the face helmet, cracking the glass, but not injuring hte man. It sent his head reeling backward from the shock and pressure, leaving his neck unexposed, where another nut sank into his flesh. He grabbed his throat and let out a strangled cry as he fell to the ground.

"Occupational hazard," Karai answered, one of her elastic arms reaching out and sinking its teeth into the arm of a man.

"I want the two humans alive!" Battle's voice reverberated from the back of the throng of men. "Do what you want to the mutants."

"I don't think so!" Karai spat, just as Donnie let out a scream.

Glancing over, they saw that Leatherhead, roaring uncontrollably, had grabbed the turtle by the face and was flinging him around like a rag doll.

"Leatherhead!" Phoenix shouted. "Put him down!"

The large mutant did not obey.

Phoenix was about getting tired of people not doing what they were told.

"I said," she ran back over to his cell, firing three times before reaching him, each nut hitting home in a soldier's body, "put. Him. Down!"

Leatherhead did so, by throwing him at her.

"That is not what I meant!" she chastised him, elbowing a nearby man in the jaw as came at her. It jarred her arm, but she kept moving, sweeping her leg under him, to bring him to the ground.

The great sauroid mutant roared again and plunged into the fray of men and bullets, his mind not knowing who was friend or foe.

Phoenix felt a arm on her shoulder, she turned to strike at the owner, bringing her fist back. It met only air as Henry Battle dodged, blood still wet on his jaw from her earlier blow. "You've forgotten Phoebe," he taunted, back handing her with a speed that threw her off balance. "I know how to fight too."

Mikey looked around, disoriented, as he chased after Leo. "Denim's here. I've got to get to her."

"I know. She's the reason I was there to pull your shell out of the fire. Now come on, Leatherhead's rampaging and we need to punch through a squad of soldiers so you can stop him. If you still had your phone, you'd be hearing her directions." Leo snapped.

Mikey flinched, a fresh line of guilt worming through his stomach. LH was in trouble. But Denim...

They turned the corner and Leo caught him by the shell, yanking him to a halt as the entire front line of soldiers burst in sequence, like p-shake water balloons.

He ducked his head into his shell and turned away feeling the spray hit him from behind, some leaking into his shell, despite his best efforts to shield himself. Eww.

He popped back out in time to see Leo cut down the remaining guards, shocked and sluggishly unresponsive, splattered in the gore of their comrades.

Flicking the mess off his blades, Leo turned back to Mikey. "She's got Pretty II. I think she'll be fine."

It still didn't sit well with him, but, lacking alternatives, he complied. For now. At least until he saw to LH.

It didn't take long to reach their destination and when they did, he about tripped over a downed Donnie. As Mikey flailed for balance amid the chaos of battle surrounding them, Leo knelt beside D.

"Why is it always my face?" Donnie groaned.

Mikey shrugged. "Don't know, bro, maybe you just got one of those faces."

Donnie glared up at him from the ground and Leo shook his head. "Do something about Leatherhead."

Mikey gave a mock salute and charged off into the fray. Ducking, weaving and dodging, he managed to evade all the flying bodies as he worked his way to the eye of the storm.

He'd just made it to his buddy, when LH rounded on him, narrowly missing with a tail swipe, which Mikey dipped below, and roaring in his face.

Ignoring the shower of spittle, Mikey reached out and gentle patted LH's lower jaw. "Easy, dude. It's me. I'm here. It's just me."

LH hesitated, his nictitating lid flicking back to reveal his true eyes. "Michelangelo?"

He smiled. "Yeah, buddy. I'm here."

Then a bullet nearly took off his head, which he retracted into his shell on reflex.

"DO NOT HURT MY FRIEND!" Leatherhead bellowed, loud enough to shake the walls, before charging into the nearest line of soldiers.

"I thought you were going to calm him down." Karai hissed, whipping two guards into the wall with her tail as she skid by Mikey.

He gave her a wink. "I did. This is the good kinda rage."

"All right, Fam, ya heard Preggers," Raph ground out, thrusting his sai deep in a soldier's chest, his snout wrinkling at the squish. He held on, using the body to push back Little Buddy's comrades behind him. Mikey really needed to have a talk with Denim, if Zoe pulled some shit like this he'd have words with her for real. Even if she was bein' useful. Not his problem though, and he had enough of those. "Gather'em up."

"Move, Raph!" Arcos roared above the screams, death cries and chaos, charging into the front line like an enormous furry bowling ball. Raph looked up in time to hook an arm around Zoe's neck dragging her mid-attack clear of their charging bear brother. Troops flew up in the air, landing on the soldiers behind them.

Now on the outside, they were closer to where Aries was fighting, while shielding both Yuuta and Antonello. Exactly where he'd worked Zoe away from. Not good.

A spray of blood splashed across his face, as ahead of him, Zoe slaughtered everyone in her path. How the shell was he going to get her back after this? She was even less right than when he met her. A fist across his jaw knocked him back, reminding him this wasn't the time or place to figure that out.

Rubbing his cheek with the back of his hand, he sighed. "And we thought Leatherhead was messed up."

Aries shifted around the soldiers mobbing him, stuck in a fistfight with his hands tied and precious cargo to protect. At least these bastards wanted the kids alive. Only a 'do not kill' order could explain them not firing on him in such a vulnerable state.

Unfortunately, it didn't extend to 'do not harm' as one man tried smashing the butt of his rifle into Yuuta's side. Aries twisted to take the blow in the shoulder, then slammed his forehead down onto the soldier's helmet, cracking it and dropping him.

Then three more closed in. He thrust his foot out, blasting the middle guy in the chest, but the remaining two swarmed his sides unchallenged.

Or maybe not.

Yuuta shot a hand out with lightning speed, jutting his fingers between the man's helmet and armor, causing him to stiffen and collapse.

On the other side, Anton twisted in his arm, facing out enough to swing his feet at the last attacker, one foot flying up to catch the bottom of the helmet face guard and rip it up, the other heel smashing the guy's nose into a bloody mess. Ninja kids indeed.

The soldier dropped his gun to clutch at his face and Aries body checked him into the wall, hearing the satisfying crunch of bone.

In his peripheral, he caught a flash of red. Close. Too close. Shit.

"Raph, it's getting a little crowded over here. What're you doing?"

"Not-" Raph grunted, driving his sai in an attacker on his left and his foot in one on his right. "Not what I was tryin ta do." Wrapping both hands around another dude's head he twisted, feeling the tell-take snap as he flipped the body over his shoulder.

He glanced back in time to see Zoe wipe her hand across her face, smearing blood across her cheek. Distant grey eyes set on Aries. "You," She sneered. "Give. Me. Back. My. Son."

"Shit." Raph and Aries groaned in unison.

"Mom!" Anton yelled at her. "Stop- don't! It's me, an Yuuta, an Uncle Aries, and Dad and we love you!"

Zoe's head tipped to the side, one hand flying out to snatch a soldier by his throat, sinking her claws into his esophagus.

"Close your eyes, Anton!" Raph yelled. Damn these kids were going to have nightmares for life.

"Do something, Raph." Aries shifted, inching back, while fending off yet another attacker.

Ahead, Arcos and Medusa had most of the soldiers corralled. Raph was running out of ideas. It wasn't like Zoe was hearing him. What else could he do? How did Mikey get through to Leatherhead?

His mind drew blank, as between him and Aries both their weight shifted in fragments, any wrong move possibly a trigger for one of Zoe's armada of kill strike options.

Then it hit him. Mikey had faith. Put himself up close and in the kill zone. Raph swallowed hard. "Aries, make sure Anton can't see, in case this goes South."

Sheathing his sai, Raph opened his hands, using pure footwork to weave and dodge Zoe's attacks. He blocked each potential blow with a swipe, never taking his eyes off hers. "Come on, Z," he murmured. Working her back and away from Aries and their cluster of enemies, he cornered her.

She hissed, a guttural sound, fear and fury. His heart was pounding as he blocked a lethal strike, snatched her by the wrists and pushed his plastron flush to her chest. "I love you dammit." Tears filled his eyes as he pleaded with her. "I love you and I know you're in there. I know it. Come back to me, Zoe. Please." He exhaled. " _Please_."

She struggled against him, then stilled at his voice. She blinked. "Raph?"

The second his heart lifted, the cluster of cornered troops behind them exploded, sending gore flying. It rained blood and guts like a shower, several seconds after the blast. Raph pulled back from Zoe in time to look at Aries, hoping beyond hope that his brother had shielded the kid's eyes. But as his head turned, Zoe's fist smashed into his temple, dropping him.

TSOTC

As she lined up her next shot, sudden pressure on Denim's bladder provoked an unhappy groan from her lips. "Oh, no."

The sounds of battle briefly faded to give way to Leo's voice. "Oh, no what? Oh, no like you need back up because it's going to be a minute."

"What hit me?" Raph groaned and somewhere beyond him Aries replied, _"Zoe, now get your ass up and help me out."_

Somewhere beyond them both, Denim could hear Mikey. "What's wrong? Is she under attack?"

"Are you under attack?" Leo echoed.

"Well she's screwed if she is." Raph groused.

"Gimme your headset, Leo. Give it, give it, give it!" Mikey chanted.

"No, no, I'm not under attack and I'm not sick." Denim talked louder than she should, to be sure Leo could hear her over Mikey's repeated pleas for a headset mixed with Raph's groaning and the huffs and grunts of battle. "In fact," she clarified, "a double dose of Donnie's meds has me feeling pretty good. Aside from broken ribs and a broken arm that is."

"So, what are you saying 'oh no' to?" Leo asked, and from her scope Demim could see his hand in the middle of Mikey's face, holding him at bay as he tried in vain to steal Leo's headset.

Denim groaned as the pressure grew. "Mmmm, ugh, I have to pee."

"Did you say double dose?" Donnie suddenly chimed in.

Denim let out an uncomfortable grunt. "M'yea, so?"

Donnie's response was drowned out by Leo's next question. "Why would you not _go_ before you left the house? I mean it's not your first battle. Everyone knows you _go_ before a fight."

"Is she okay? Are you- are you lecturing her right now?" Mikey drew back then tried to duck and weave to get in closer to Leo's head.

"Of course I went before I left!" Denim ground her teeth together. Why were men so, _so_ \- _dumb_? "There's a baby on my bladder, Leo! Would you like to have a conversation with your unborn niece or nephew about that? Hm? Lecture him or her that it's not a good time right now!"

"Uh- no- _I mean, I think_ \- not- right- now?" Leo sounded less than confident about his answer and Denim wanted was tempted, for half a second, to shoot him.

"Gimme your headset, Gimme, gimme, gimme." Mikey chanted.

"See this whole conversation is exactly why Preggers shouldn't be here." Raph interjected.

"By Darwin's Beard! I've got it!" Donnie announced. "I don't know why I didn't think of it before!"

"Think of a genius way for me to pee while pregnant and sniping in the field?" Denim rubbed her belly, trying to encourage the baby to move. Instead he or she delivered a hard kick right where her hand touched. "Ow!" She flinched as the strike stung like she'd been stabbed from the inside.

"What now?" Leo asked, sending Mikey into a whole new level of panic.

"Twins," Donnie replied.

"I'm sorry, what?" Denim almost dropped her rifle.

"What?" Raph and Leo echoed one another.

"He said twins." Aries said sternly. "I swear I don't know how the lit of you survived this long."

"Just go," Splinter's voice broke through the banter.

"What?" Demin asked.

"What?" Mikey and Leo echoed.

"Just go," the rat mutant wasn't even breathing hard. "It'll dry, and you can change your pants later. After you have the kids, you'll be peeing in your pants on a regular basis, anyway."

"Women pee in their pants on a regular basis? Ow, Zoe!" Raph's voice was incredulous.

"That's gross," Medusa chimed in.

"You eat dogs and cats," Aries sounded very badly done to, "how can you comment on what's gross."

 _"_ Oh crap!" Raph exclaimed.

"Denim!" Leo was almost frantic, " _Shoot!"_

TSOTC

Battle did know how to fight. And he knew how to fight well, much to Phoenix's chagrin. Even with her small size and age, she was nothing to sneeze at, but she was street trained. She'd obstinately not allowed Splinter to teach her anything, despite the face she'd picked up a few things by observation and a down-low lesson or two from Leo. Despite that, she was getting struck more often that she would have expected. It was obvious to her that Battle was formally trained, and kept up with his training. As she ran down the hall in order to gain some distance from him as Leatherhead took care of the masses, the phrase, _Pride goeth before the fall,_ rang in her head.

She drew her makeshift slingshot, letting a nut fly. Battle dodged, a smile on his face. There were several opponents one did not want to meet in combat, Phoenix had learned during the war. Those who had a purpose, for they would willing die for their cause. Those who were crazy, for they did not care if they died at all. And those who enjoyed fighting, for they would fight until the end simply for the joy of it. She had the awful feeling that Henry Battle might be all three.

"You're a good shot, Phoebe," Battle taunted, "but not that good."

"Pride goeth before the fall," she echoed the thought in her head, and hoped it was for him.

He was on her again, his fist headed toward her ribcage. She dodged, but just barely. He swept his legs, catching her off-guard and sending her sprawling to the ground. The bag of nuts scattered across the floor. He leapt on her. Using his momentum, she planted her foot in his sternum and sent him sailing over her. He crashed into the wall at the turn of the hallway.

Scrambling up, she reached for a handful of nuts and began pelting them at Battle. backing away toward the melee she'd just fled. One hit home, despite her aim, with a soft thump in his chest near his shoulder.

He winced, blood blossoming on the white of his business shirt. "You're going to regret that Phoebe."

"You are going to regret speaking her name," said a voice from around the corner with a distinct Japanese accent.

Phoenix despised being the princess in need of saving. However, relief filled her with her husband came into view. Splinter's hands moved so fast, that Battle threw a punch, but that was all he was able to do. Fingers darted along Battle's frame, sending the man's head back with each contact. It looked as if the ninja-master was expending no energy at all, but Phoenix knew the force behind those seemingly gentle touches. Battle fell to the floor, his eyes fluttering.

"Are you alright?" Splinter as at her side in an instant.

"No," she said with a shaky laugh, tears forming in her eyes as she flung her arms around him. "But I'm alright enough to get out of here."

"Sappho is injured," her husband explained. "We need to get you to her."

TSOTC

Ultimately Slash had been reduced to pressing buttons at random with no idea what they did. The whole system looked like a bunch of colorful lights and symbols as though they'd hired a high-schooler to construct the thing out of emojis.

In the end, fortune threw him a bone and he stumbled across a more familiar icon. Simple in design it was unmistakably a lock. Promising.

He tried pressing it.

"Fingerprint authorization required." The system responded in that creepy, disembodied, smartphone-assistant voice.

Damn. What now?

He glanced down at the unconscious technicians. Why not?

Picking up the first guy, he carefully pressed his finger to the fingerprint icon.

"Authorization denied. Inadequate clearance."

He tried the woman next.

"Authorization denied. Inadequate clearance."

Well that was a bust.

Then the door opened. "What are you fools doing in here? They're multiple alerts..."

The stuffy little man in the collared shirt and khakis held up by suspenders trailed off as he took in the scene.

Gulping in a huge breath, like a fish struggling to breathe out of water, he turned to run, but Slash caught him from behind and slammed him face first into the wall next to the door. Then Slash dragged his limp body over to the fingerprint pad.

"Clearance granted."

The lock symbol opened.

TSOTC

Leo felt the frustration of wasted time as he held off Mikey's swipes for his headset. Then his brother abruptly stopped, staring at something beyond him.

What now? He didn't even want to look. "What is it?"

"Justin."

Who the shell was...uh oh. The sound of cell door opening filled the hallway and he turned to see the Cockroach Terminator and Snakeweed step out behind the electric tentacle monster with more emerging each moment.

"Uh, Leo. They're headed this way," Mikey helpfully pointed out.

He grabbed Mikey and Donnie, pulling them back towards Karai and April. "Run. Run!"

Adjusting the headset Mikey'd dislodged, so that he could be heard clearly as they fled, he yelled out. "Denim! Shoot!"

"I am so not peeing in my pants." Denim refused. She rebalanced her rifle, tipped badly from Donnie's ridiculous assumption. Twins her ass. That was just too much. He might be a genius but-

"Shoot! Denim, shoot, shoot, shoot!" Leo yelled.

Denim watched as he grabbed family members, corralling them toward the exit. What was his sudden- "Oh." The pressure in on her abdomen grew, her nose wrinkling as she squirmed. She tried to line up her shot but the baby wasn't letting up. "For crying out loud," she ground her teeth together.

"What are you waiting for?" Leo snapped.

"Hey! Don't talk to her like that!" Mikey snapped, flipping and darting as mutants and hybrids poured from their open cells, flooding the hall.

On the other end Raph with Zoe in some sort of hold, Aries carrying Anton and Yuuta, Arcos, and Medusa with Sappho in her coils had broken through, Phoenix and Splinter rushing forward to greet them. At last, her entire family merged. Leatherhead and Slash reunited, Slash with his hands up, waving frantically at the onslaught of released captives. From opposite ends of the hall the last of the enemy soldiers blocked the exits and all Denim wanted was to line up a shot and pee. At the same time.

"A little speed would be great here, Denim." Leo urged her on.

"Don't rush me. I'm pregnant and uncomfortable, and I've got to pee and I'm not going in my pants, and this is a lot harder than I make it look! So, _Leonardo_ , shut up and let me line up my shot." Grinding her teeth together she peered through her scope, planning three strategic shots. The corners of her mouth tipped up. "One," she aimed for the massive cockroach shooting lasers in the direction of a preoccupied Raphael. The mammoth insect disintegrated from her scope at the same time a collective, "Ew," filled her headset.

"Okay, Preggers, I take back everything I said," Raph exhaled his gratitude.

The escaping captives ground to a halt before spreading out like insects themselves, seeming more intent on fleeing than attacking her family.

Denim's heart fluttered, her grin widening as she adjusted her target to the first blocked exit. Fool guards in a cluster made them one juicy piece of fruit, ripe for the squishing. "Two," she sang.

"Oh, now _that_ is disgusting, I love it. Can I play with your new toy sometime, Denim?" Karai purred.

"No!" Leo, Raph, Donnie, Aries, Arcos, and Medusa refuted.

Denim giggled, then almost peed herself as she lined up her final shot. In case her family wanted exit options, she aimed for the most effective shot, one that would take out five of the twelve soldiers blocking their way. "Three." The line disappeared into a smear, the remaining soldiers knocked to the ground, most likely covered in the bodies of their comrades. "Be right back," she said, hoping someone heard her over their exclamations of horror.

"What? No. Denim, stay put." Leo's voice faded as she took off her headset and looked around, delighted to find a utility closet to squat behind.


	69. Chapter 68

After a day and a half, Phoenix could still not get the smell of blood out of her nostrils. She purposely tried not to think of how those in the household with a better sense of smell than she must feel. If she did, she'd start to get angry.

And she was already having a hard time holding in her anger.

Expectations to return to her apartment, to cuddle her son, make love to her husband, and sleep, were immediately dashed when Splinter that said that Sappho needed her help. He was not kidding. Medusa was literally all that was holding the cyborg together. Much too reminiscent of the war she thought was long behind her, Phoenix had to block everything and everyone else out to heal a body she was unfamiliar with. While her trunk was mainly human, there were so many integrations of Kraang technology into her system, that the two were so intertwined, Sappho might has well have been a different kind of lifeform altogether, related to human beings, but not quite one. Just like any mutant.

But unlike her mutant patients, the other half of her equations was not genetic. It was machine. And the machine did not respond to her powers.

"Can you keep her stable until we get back home?" Donnie asked.

Phoenix had nodded, expecting home to be Donnie and April's apartment. Or at least her apartment. Turned out home was the Not Haunted Warehouse. Her three had moved back in, without her knowledge and kept the place way cleaner than she had ever been able to make them do when she lived there. Her sense of betrayal tried to steal her thoughts, that her kids would do such a thing, moving back into what she considered her house, without telling her-or at least inviting her. But dwelling on that took away from the energy she needed to concentrate on Sappho. Once Donnie was in charge of her, her attention turned to him. Ironically, like her, he was the least hurt of the bunch. The Kraang mind control device was a no-brainer for her to heal up, she'd done it many times before on many mutants. His other injuries were all minor bruising, the same as she would expect as if he'd been in a fight with his brothers in the dojo.

"Don't worry about me," he tried to wave her away. "Take care of April."

"Because the rest of us don't matter," Karai muttered.

Leo elbowed her.

"Doctor," Phoenix chanted "heal thyself."

Donnie huffed and continued with his ministrations on Sappho.

April's injuries were not much that Phoenix could do to heal, so much as alleviate. The overtaxing of her physical brain in using her Kraang mental facilities was not much of a physical ailment save for the normal swelling and high blood pressure that caused a headache. The melding of two dimensional energies which were never meant to be intertwined was beyond what Phoenix could fix. She felt for the young woman, for she suffered the exact same symptoms when having to use her own powers for too long or too intensely. More than once, after the battlefield, she'd been out for days.

She hoped this was not one of those times.

Leo, Karai, Arcos, Medusa, and Splinter had all standard fighting injuries-bruises, a few lacerations, one jammed finger and a dislocated toe. They were all easily fixed, with Splinter's old hip injury being the most stubborn. Apparently, the old rat had decided that he could shatter some Kraang-glass-like substance in order to get to Anton, and had been woefully mistaken.

Zoe, who was unconscious on a bed in one of the bedrooms, had few injuries at all. Even her bruising was minimal. However, she was totally unresponsive to anyone, and Raph asked Denim to tranquilizer her as soon as they were outside the building. She had a second dose and third dose so far.

"Isn't that gonna damage her?" Raph had asked.

"No," Donnie assured him. "Let's get everyone else situated, then we can let her up."

So far, she wasn't up.

Aries and Raph were splattered with scratches, all of which were easy-peasy for Phoenix to heal over. She felt a strange sensation coming from each scratch, given by Zoe's claws, that she had trouble identifying. She'd figure it out later, at the moment, she had other things to do.

Like not get mad.

Denim and Mikey had not returned home with them, but had taken the car that Denim had arrived as the cavalry in, back to their own place. Phoenix guessed neither was in a bad way, and she wasn't worried about them. She knew Denim would have to make a rendezvous with Donnie soon for her pregnancy.

That left the two little boys.

Their hurts were easy to fix, they were surgically given, clean lacerations. They were always the easiest to heal, and took almost not effort on Phoenix's part now. However, both boys shook inside, so that she cried when she tended to her son and grandson. Anton even wiped her face with one of his thick, green fingers.

"Go to sleep with Daddy," she instructed him, physically picking him up and placing him in Raph's arms. "Cuddle in bed," she glared at Raph, who looked about to protest, "and go to sleep." The red banded turtle had obediently disappeared into a bedroom.

She then picked up Yuuta, smiled at Splinter, and finally did what she had expected to do so many, many hours before-only instead of in her own bed it was on the couch, with Splinter's arms about her, and her arms about the little rat mutant in her lap.

TSOTC

 _Reboot complete. Systems online._

A familiar mechanical whirring brought her back to consciousness. The scent of smoke and the crackle of flame were immediately followed by searing pain. She couldn't move. Couldn't get away. Couldn't breathe.

She might have been screaming, but she couldn't tell.

Somewhere beyond the pain and panic there was a familiar scent. A comforting touch. Safety. But she couldn't find her way there.

 _System error. Shutdown imminent._

Darkness.

 _Operating system repair. Restarting._

Where was she? Who was she? Why couldn't she move? Hear? See? What was going on?

 _Insufficient resources. Shutdown imminent._

Nothingness.

 _Backup restored. Initializing..._

Her eyes fluttered open, taking in a surface above her.

Grey.

Cement.

Industrial-grade.

Tactile sensors detected fabric beneath her.

Cotton. 95% certainty.

Soft.

Movement to her left.

Breathing.

Organic life form.

Mutant. 54% humanoid. 46% ursine.

Status...asleep.

Motor function test. Position upright. Success.

Organic life form status...awake.

Attempting grapple. Calculating possible responses.

Conclusion: safe?

"Sappho."

Spark.

Identity K8.

Spark.

Olfactory sensors. Interpreting data.

Spark. Spark. Spark.

Her brain lit up, leaving her gasping in his arms.

"Arcos."

TSOTC

Raph felt sick. While his mother was busy stabilizing Sappho, he'd carried Zoe, with Anton clinging to his leg, over to Aries.

"Uh, do you- think you could help- me- with Anton? I- need to clean this o-off her." He hated that the words were thick off his tongue. That is throat was tight and his mouth dry. And Gods the stench and taste of copper was not helping.

Frowning, Aries nodded. "Anton, you hungry?"

Antonello shook his head. "I want my dad." He peered up at his mothers clumped crimson hair. "Is Mom gonna be okay?"

Raph tried to control his breaths. Keep them even and his stomach in check.

Aries must've seen this. "Hey, let your dad take care of her. No-ones leaving this building, Anton and no-ones getting in. Your safe now. And your dad needs to take care of your mom."

"I'll be right back, Buddy." Raph promised as Anton slowly transferred himself to Aries.

Raph ducked in one of the bathrooms and began stripping her down. Blood was everywhere. His stomach rolled as he turned on the faucet, dropping the stopper in the tub after the fact. As it filled, he looked her over. She didn't seem any worse for the wear on the outside. No real wounds that he could see. But they'd show soon enough.

The second he dipped her in the water, the entire tub bled red. He sighed as he pulled the stopper, letting it drain then climbed in behind her and started the shower.

"What're we gonna do now, Z?" He reached for shampoo, squirting it in her hair and began rubbing out the clumps of flesh and bone. Not hers.

Slowly, her natural red appeared. "They cut off your hair. Why?" Was it some kind of humiliation tactic? It would hardly faze her. Unless, there was more to it... but it was just hair right?

She was light in his hold, as he moved on to her face, using a cloth on her ears. Was there any part of her not coated in blood? His throat ached despite himself. The creature he'd walked up on, that he'd found, and fended off, those eyes were feral. They weren't even human. That was all cat.

And those claws. Those were new. His own shoulders stung. Minor wounds his mother would get to. Once Sappho was stable. Everyone was going to be all right. He pulled Zoe close. "That means you too, Z. We're gonna get Mom to look at ya. Then Donnie. We'll figure it out. I promise."

While he would've rather fought with her, watched her run her mouth at him while he'd yelled at her to never scare him like this again, he had nothing.

The water ran cold and he still didn't have all the blood off. Shivering and uncertain, he kept scrubbing. He didn't know what else to do.

That had been a day and a half ago. Unfortunately, everyone's solution to dealing with Zoe revolved around keeping her sedated. What was that accomplishing?

Anton snuggled closer to him and Raph's heart jerked. They were supposed to be at home, the three of them, with Zoe reading Anton a story while both him and their son complained and asked obvious questions the whole time. Then she'd get mad and threaten to not finish it. That's how nights were supposed to end. Not. Like. This.

Not with Antonello crying in his sleep. Not with Zoe laid out for another day. But they had to wait their turn. Triage in a big family with one healer and one genius was like that. If Zoe were critical, which maybe her mind was, and maybe none of them could fix that, well he'd want her first too. But waiting wasn't his strong suit.

Scooping Anton up, he carried him to the room Zoe was in, then climbed in next to her, placing him between them. Anton's green eyes opened, glanced at him then sniffed. His eyes sparkled. Then he rolled to face her, draping an arm around her. "Come on, Dad. Let's find her and bring her back."

Raph sighed. "I wish I could, Buddy."

Then Anton grabbed his hand and wrapped it around them both. "Like this. She'll find us. Just give her time." Then he looked up at Raph. "Tell her a story."

"I don't know no stories, Anton." Raph hated not being able to fight this. But that was the foundation of their relationship. The dance between patience and perseverance. Pushing his boundaries because the prize was worth reaching for.

"Sure you do, Dad. Here, I'll start. Once upon a time, almost six years ago, a turtle met a hybrid on a rooftop..."

TSOTC

After Denim finished her business, she'd gotten her headphones on in time to see everyone fleeing the building. Then Raph requested that she tranq Zoe. It was the expression on his face, the pain in his normally tough tone that left a sting in her own chest, worse than the sharp jolt she was sure Zoe felt before collapsing in his arms. The woman was blood-soaked and her son traumatized. Denim felt somewhat responsible for that, considering his entire capture was because he and Yuuta had pursued she and Alli. Sweet boys. Selfless. Honorable. She owed them big time.

She'd begun packing up her weapons when Michelangelo appeared on the rooftop with her, silently taking each bag from her as she zipped it shut. At first, she'd thought he was helping her carry them to the car. They were by no means light. And maybe that's all it was. But as she drove Connie's car back, with him still silent and eerily still in the passenger seat, periodically looking at her then away again, she realized her guns were still in his lap.

Then they'd gotten to Connie's.

That was when she realized she couldn't let him and Connie see each other at the moment. She'd done nothing to address any of Connie's concerns, and he was clearly upset without any additional outside interference. She was trying not to say anything to him, knowing she was at least partially in the wrong. She had after all violated a very important promise. Even if she had gained the amazing side-effect of self-control over her super strength in the process. A feat that wasn't so difficult now that she realized it had a lot to do with motive. She thought about everything around the object and not the object itself. It was weird, but it was also working.

A glance at her phone confirmed it was insanely late or really early depending on who you were.

She opted to park Connie's car in the driveway, leave her keys in the mailbox and let Alli stay with her until she'd sorted things out with Michelangelo. Of course, she hadn't explained any of that to him as he followed her, still holding onto her weapons bags, watching as she tucked the keys away, closed the mailbox and pecked out a text to Connie. When she turned to leave the stoop, he'd stayed there staring at her.

"It's late, let her sleep. I can pick her up tomorrow."

He gave a single nod, then glanced at her casted arm, his eyes darting to her ribs, belly, then bruised cheek. "You should let Mom heal you."

Her ribs were throbbing. But recall of the last time she'd pulled a stunt like this… Phoenix's venom had left a hearty sting. Something she wasn't prepared for at the moment. "Thanks, but I'm not ready to face her yet."

He said nothing.

"I can carry one of those, you know." She motioned to the smaller bag.

He didn't reply, almost placing a hand protectively over it. It niggled at her then, something, she couldn't put a finger on.

They'd walked to the subway, rode home in silence.

Showered.

He'd permitted her to clean the small head wound he'd sustained. A few butterfly-stitches.

But he said nothing.

Then they'd gone to bed in silence. With his shell turned.

She'd slept, woke up alone. Finding him in the kitchen. At least he was cooking. That was normal.

Eating breakfast was silent.

More cooking after breakfast. In silence.

Eating lunch was silent.

More cooking after lunch. In silence.

Eating dinner was silent.

Michelangelo was silent and Denim was about to lose her mind. She didn't know what to say to him. It wasn't like him to not have something to say for even a brief stint of time, let alone a full day!

Connie texted. A thousand rude and inappropriate questions about her health, whether she was going die and what her plan was in the event of her death. Then at the end she politely asked if Alli could stay the weekend. Denim had called Alli to be sure it's what she wanted. It was. Only then Connie took the phone from her.

"Denim, you're not answering any of my questions! And what happened to your arm? Why are you all beat up? When is this baby due?"

Mikey, ever present, pretending to read a comic, pretending to watch Crognard, or cooking and conspicuously not taking any incoming calls himself, tipped his head in her direction as if he could hear her rude mother.

He probably could. She was loud enough.

"I'm fine, Mom. I don't have all the answers you want, but I'll be sure everything is in order before I bite it. Okay? Have fun with Alli this weekend. I love you, bye." She hung up quickly, without giving her a chance to respond.

He went into the kitchen. Cooking again. But they'd just finished dinner. The cold shell he was giving her, did not sit well. It was as bad as the two times he'd bailed on her. "Well if you're never talking to me again, I'll just go to the range!" she yelled as she made her way down the hall.

She'd fire off a few rounds, blow off some steam. Clear her head. Yes. Then she'd come back and force herself to beg him to talk. That is, as if she could form some excuse for what she'd done. Maybe that's why she hadn't yet.

She heard something clang in the kitchen. Wasn't sure if it was slammed or dropped. But she wasn't going to see either. She went into their closet, flipped on the light and scanned the shelves.

That was odd.

The entire top shelf was empty.

Her brow furrowed as she pushed the clothes back on her side. Had a lock box slid down behind her clothes? Wait. That's impossible. They're too heavy. Wait. She pushed back Mikey's clothes. Checked his shelf. Checked the floor on both sides. Wait. Oh. Hell. No. "Michelangelo!"

Mikey scrabbled for the mixing bowls he'd dropped when Denim announced her plans to the apartment. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. The gnawing anxiety abated some when he'd gathered gear up. But now that he was facing consequences for that impulsive act, it seemed less wise in retrospect.

Maybe he should've just talked to her, but everything he wanted, needed, to say turned to word goo, catching in his throat, like that time he tried drinking melted mozzarella. This had seemed easier. To past-Mikey anyway. Present-Mikey was having second thoughts and wished he could somehow throw the problem to future-Mikey.

"Michelangelo!"

Nope. Future-Mikey would not be stepping in to save his shell.

She stomped into the kitchen, eyes blazing as she zeroed in on him.

His clutching hands tightened on the armload of steel bowls spraying them out in all directions. His voice creaked screechily as he cleared his throat. "Uh, how about some lasagna? It's the cake of pasta."

Denim eyed the bowls scattered across the floor. Then fixed her sights on him. "Where are they? Hm? I mean how did this method of dealing with our shit work out for you the last time?" She cocked a threatening eyebrow that demanded he not attempt to answer. "Not good. It went about as well as the time you knocked me out because we couldn't agree on the very same thing you took my phone for. And surprise-" She threw up her hands. "Here we are, dealing with nearly the very same topic again. So, you don't want me near the fight. Say that. Say how you feel. You're usually good at that. But. Do. Not. Take. My. Shit. And sure as hell not my weapons. You don't see me taking your chucks do you?" Her eyes lit up. "But hey! I know where they are. Maybe I'll just go do that."

Eek! His babies. No!

Though she had a head start, he was faster and, by dive rolling over her in the hallway, he managed to make it to the bedroom first. His chucks dangled carelessly from the left bedpost.

In his head he could hear Leo lecturing about treating his weapons with proper respect and care. Like he didn't have real Leo getting on his case enough, now imaginary Leo had to bust his shell too. Bummer.

Denim burst into the room just after him.

With a squeal, he scrambled across the bed and snatched his weapons, clutching them to his chest.

Denim dove for him and he ducked, arched and twisted out of the way with contortionist-level flexibility. Until she faked him out with a feinted grab and managed to get her hands on the end of one of his chucks while he flailed to recover.

Not even bothering to wrestle the weapon free, she pushed off the bed and stomped towards the door dragging Michelangelo after her as though he weighed nothing.

Right. Super strength. Still crazy-cool if inconvenient at the moment.

In her haste to exact retribution, she yanked him, shell-first, right into the dresser by the door, rocking it on its base. Everything atop it began to tumble down. Including the medicine Donnie had given him when he'd dropped off Denim's gear at the warehouse.

No. Carpet or not, he couldn't risk the glass container breaking. Priorities shifting, he released his chucks and rolled onto his back to catch the jar, cradling it to his chest.

Watching Mikey sacrifice his beloved weapons to her mercy, to save her medicine, sent a jolt of guilt through Denim. But that didn't stop her from snatching them up.

She was softening a bit, nonetheless. Reminding herself that she was the one who'd violated his trust. Something he'd done only once to her, and under the influence of his brothers. Holding his weapons hostage, she turned for the door. "Kitchen. Brownies. No lasagna. And you. Talking. Now."

Mikey gently set Denim's meds back on the dresser and followed her into the kitchen, careful to avoid the myriad of dresser clutter now scattered across the floor.

Eschewing the premade mix, he started melting blocks of chocolate in a sauce pan as he considered what to say.

Aghh. All this stupid thinking was getting in his way. A whole day and more of thinking hadn't gotten him any closer to the right words. Ultimately, he fell back on the tried and true method of tossing thinking aside and letting the words spill out of their own volition without concern for consequence.

"You made the right call. Everything was a total mess, no one knew what they were doing and half of us took off before Leo had a chance to give us the plan. We tease him a lot because he's mega-bossy, but things go way smoother when we listen to him. If you'd kept your promise, some of us, might be...probably would be dead."

He stirred the melting chocolate. "But when I heard your voice on the line, realized you were there, I just..." His voice caught in his throat, but he pushed through it. "When you were missing, I couldn't do it. I don't know how I made it before I met you, but I can't go back to that. When you're gone, so is my heart and I don't know how to live without my heart, even when I gotta cuz Alli needs me. And we just got you back and there you were, saving our shells and all I could think about was losing you again."

He took the pan off the heat and started blending in butter, vanilla and sugar to the chocolate goop. "I don't know how you do it, waiting out there for your shot when we're...I'm neck-deep in baddies, but I can't breathe when I think something bad might happen to you. It makes me crazy and not the fun kind of crazy."

He cracked in the eggs, whipping them up. "I'm sorry I took your gear. It's safe at the warehouse. I know it's nuts. You're totes safer with it, when you can out some holes in the baddies comin' for you, but at the time it felt like you wouldn't be out putting yourself in someone else's crosshairs with it gone."

Stirring in the flour, he finally found the courage to look up at her. "So, I guess...thanks for saving my shell and please don't go anywhere near those psychos ever again."

Placing his chucks on the table, Denim took a seat, ready to listen. Getting him to cook was the perfect way to get him talking. As he finally got out of his head and opened his mouth, with his hands busy, it was easier for him.

But she hadn't expected him to support her decision. This lessened some of her guilt. The maternal part of her was still scolding herself because she had risked their baby. But as he asked her never to go near psychos ever again she realized he'd come full circle... all the way back to when they first met. 

The scent of chocolate made her stomach growl, and her unruly passenger stomped on what was quickly becoming a sore spot. Schooling her face into a smooth facade, or as best she could manage, she checked to be sure Mikey was facing the stove, then lifted her shirt to rub the throbbing spot. But when her fingers touched her skin pain shot through her. Her jaw tightened. Damn that's tender. She looked down, examining her stretching skin. Catching glimpse of a mottled bruise, her heart quickened and she barely suppressed a gasp, quickly lowering her shirt. Stay focused Denim. Get through one crisis before falling into another.

She'd just have to visit Donnie soon... and face Phoenix sooner, even though the idea alone made her feel woozy. 

But first things first.

"I- didn't expect you to be okay with what I did. And I'm sorry I broke my promise. I hate that for you, for us. Your trust means everything to me. And you're kind of-" She motioned to her belly. "At the mercy of my decisions in this, and I hate that for you too. But, I had this terrible feeling-" Her voice caught as tears rushed her eyes, "and after everything that's happened in the last few days..." She blinked hard as he stopped stirring to look at her.

"I can't, Mikey. I just-" There was a trail down her cheeks, the lump in her throat unyielding. "I can't do what you're asking me to. And I need you to accept that. You have to. The way I accept it of you. I will always, always come for you. I'm willing to risk this baby to save you. And I'm sorry for that and yet horrible as it sounds I'm not. I waited my whole life for you." She blinked, struggling to contain herself. But failing. "And you've got to keep your head in the game out there. You can't be worried about me."

She exhaled a shuddering breath and looked away. "You ask this of me, like you mean forever, not just the rest of this pregnancy. And if that's the case, we've been struggling with the same problem from the very beginning." She swallowed hard, wiped her eyes. "So, tell me you mean just for now, because if you can't, we've got a bigger problem."

Her stomach growled again as she sniffled. "And bring me a spoon and that pan... please."

Mikey set the bowl and half-filled pan on the table and seated himself beside her, offering her the wooden spoon of batter.

She wasn't asking the unreasonable. At least not for their family. Impossibly life-threatening danger had been a part of his life in so many different ways for so long, he didn't even notice it anymore.

So why was this different?

Thinking back to a few standout moments of shock, he dredged up the normally repressed memories of familial loss. Donnie disintegrating under the fury of shard-possessed April, Leo's three-month coma, not knowing if he would ever wake, each time he thought his father had died. They were all there, invisible scars on his soul.

But scars were scars cuz they healed. If things had gone differently, if he'd lost one of them forever, it would have torn a piece of his very self out. But the rest of him would have gone on. Eventually.

There was no going on without Denim though. He'd never had someone he couldn't live without before. It sure trickified things up.

If she asked him to ride the sidelines, could he do it? Knowing that the people he loved were throwing down with danger? If this was how she felt when he was in the thick of it, could he not?

It made his head hurt.

As she sucked the batter off the spoon, he gently leaned his forehead against hers. "How selfish is it that I wish we could just stick our lives together, with like soul glue or something, so that we can't be split no matter what?"

Denim's heart did that odd fluttering thing, where she nearly forgot how to breathe. His eyes, the way he looked into her, found her and held her. He still had that effect on her. A blue made in the heavens. Perfect. Honest. Pure. Gods she loved him.

Tiny thrills rolled through her as his breath tickled her neck. Her eyes were wet, but she was grinning as she dashed his cheek with the spoon. "You don't have a selfish bone in you, Michelangelo."

He smiled, eyes sparkling, freckles like stars beneath them, hers closing as she breathed him in. He tipped his head, sought her mouth and her heart skipped beats. It would be so easy to follow him, to someplace where only the two of them existed.

But as much as she wanted to play with him, she had to settle this thing looming over them once and for all. As his fingers sought the hem of her shirt, her hidden bruises gave her another reason to slow things down. Her hands flew over his, gently tugging her shirt back down.

Sensing her tense, he pulled back. Confused eyes searching her. Heart pounding, she was torn. Option one, bolt. Not the best choice during a heart to heart. Option two-

"Denim?"

She blinked. Swallowed. What was option two? Come on, Denim! Oh! Clear things up once and for all. Then call Phoenix as soon as you can. Yes. Good. Go with option two.

Seconds passed.

He was staring at her, chocolate on his cheek and lips. And she just couldn't. She couldn't push him. If they had to have the same talk every now and then and it ended with the two of them covered in chocolate then what the hell. And maybe he wouldn't notice the bruises. If she kept his eyes on hers, his mouth to hers, then maybe he wouldn't see. Enter option three.

Uncertain of the problem, Mikey swallowed, reached for the spoon, dipped it in the bowl and began to stir.

Denim's skin was burning. He was right there. Bruised and beautiful and hers. Fuck it. She wanted option three! She reached for the bottom of her shirt, tugged it over her head and opted to move fast, reaching for the spoon and offering him a taste. "I accept your offer of soul glue, Michelangelo. But, I raise you chocolate... Can we bind our souls with that?"

Mikey grinned, accepting the spoon. With it, he tapped brownie batter on her forehead, nose, chin and each cheek.

"By the mystical mojo of chocolate..." He licked her forehead. "...I super-move, ultra-link to you..." He licked her chin. "...my one and only, Blue Jeans..." He licked her left check. "...For all for of the evers..." He licked her right cheek. "...Always, no matter what." He licked her nose. "There's nowhere you go where I won't follow." He leaned in for a chocolate-smeared kiss.

Giggling like a school girl, Denim's heart was on a high. Her laugh slipped into a sigh against his lips, her eyelids fluttering as her cheeks flushed. Stroking his cheek with one hand, while sweeping his chocolatey-lip with her tongue, she reached out, dipping her fingers in the bowl.

He was laughing as she painted the left side of his face, letting her fingers run down his neck, leaving a chocolate trail all the way to his shoulder. She pecked his lips, eyes on his as she leaned into him, lowering her mouth to his shoulder, licking and kissing her way back to him. He churred and she let out a happy moan.

His turn, he dipped his fingers in the batter, began just behind her ear, down the line of her neck, with one finger. Then as if drawing a painting, or a map, he used his second chocolate-coated finger, beginning with her collarbone, drifting along her bra strap, crossing from the peak of one breast to the other. With his other hand supporting her lower back, he kissed her shoulder, then nudged her so she leaned into his palm giving him access to her chest and abdomen. Using his thumb, he skipped beneath her bra, to the top of her belly. He traced an outline in the shape of a circle, dipped his fingers again then dolloped one eye and another. Looking closer, he frowned. "Aw, I messed him up. That's a big ol smear. How'd I do that?"

What? His fingers, his unknown path, and thoughts of the tongue that would soon follow it had Denim's heart fluttering, her mind afloat.

"I'll fix it." He announced, switching his chocolate hand out with his clean one to support her back. He licked his clean thumb, ready to use it like an eraser. Then he reached down to rub a spot on her stomach, but the second he touched her skin, she yelped.

Alarmed blue eyes shot to hers.

Shit. Think fast, Denim! "So, sorry." She feigned a laugh, but the sting lingered and her eyes became moist of their own volition. "Y-your fingers are cold."

Nope. That was definitely a bruise. Bruises looked different on human skin, but he'd had plenty of opportunity to learn to recognize them after meeting April and Casey. Being all squishy and whatnot, they'd always seemed covered in bruises back then.

Kind of a weird place for a bruise though.

Denim smothered a hiss as the bruise suddenly bowed outward a bit.

Oh. Little bruiser was on the inside.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." Denim affirmed, clearly worried.

He forced his face into a smile. "Yeah. Totally. So, unrelated, maybe we should head over to the warehouse because, even though we're 100%, completely, nothing's-wrong-fine, it might be nice to see how everyone else is doing and say hi to mom and Donnie."

Yeah. She wasn't convincing either of them. Wiping a smudge of chocolate from his cheek, she agreed. "Sure. We can do that." She leaned forward, pressed her lips to his. "We can just put this chocolate in the fridge for later. And I'm totally taking a shower first."


	70. Chapter 69

Donnie curled April close to him on the hand-me-down couch furnishing the living space. She'd fallen into a fitful sleep between migraines and he appreciated the slight improvement in her discomfort.

After pulling an all-nighter repairing the connections between Sappho's artificial and biological brains once mom had pulled her back from the brink, he really ought to be sleeping too. But this peaceful moment was too enjoyable to sleep through.

"S'up Fam!"

And now it was gone.

Mikey shuffled Denim into the warehouse looking pseudo-calm. He knew what that meant.

Careful not to disturb April as he slipped away from her side, he moved quickly to intercept them. If they disturbed mom now, it would not be pretty.

"Is the adjusted dosage, not working?" He asked as he approached them.

"Nope. Yup. Wait, ask normal, D." Mikey attempted to respond.

He sighed. "Is something wrong with Denim's medication?"

"Oh, no, all's good." He held up the jar and syringe as though they counted for proof of his assertion. "It's just..."

Denim winced and clutched the side of her abdomen.

Uh oh.

"Sit her down over there." Donnie pointed to the threadbare recliner next to the couch.

While his brother complied, he hurried to the cupboard near the kitchen and began rifling through the drawers. If he'd been at home, he had a mostly workable sonogram he could've used, only partially disassembled after he'd built it for Zoe years ago. But they hadn't used it since mom, so Denim's options were more limited.

"Aha." He pulled out the stethoscope with a cry if triumph. He'd thought he remembered Aries mentioning it when discussing the contents if his paraphernalia drawer. Excellent.

Rushing back to Denim's side, he put the stethoscope on and lifted her shirt, frowning at the bruise blooming on her side. It looked odd, as though sitting on a web of shattered capillaries.

Far along as she was, a stethoscope should be enough to seek a fetal heartbeat. He systematically moved the bell side of the stethoscope head over her belly.

His brother opened his mouth, but he didn't give him a chance to speak. "Shhh. I need to listen."

There it was, a heartbeat distinct from Denim's by its fluttery, rapid speed. Strong. Healthy.

He kept searching. Four-fifths of the way through, he was beginning to second-guess himself. And then he heard it. A second, distinct heartbeat.

"Yes! I knew it! Two heartbeats!" He cried exultantly.

"Whoa. The baby has two hearts? Does that mean twice the love?" Mikey asked in wonder.

"No, you dolt, it means twins." Donnie responded automatically. "I mean, congratulations, you're having two babies."

"Twins?" Denim ground out in strained disbelief.

"Yes, that's why the medication wasn't working before." Donnie explained excitedly. "I was calculating the dosage based on an erroneous assumption. There's no mistake in my formula. It's perfect."

He noticed Mikey and Denim staring at him. "Uh, I mean it's great that we figured it out so the meds work now."

He started to say that she'd be fine and caught himself. Would she? Humans were best designed to have one baby at a time. Any type of multiples ratcheted up the risk. Multiples in a mutant pregnancy were something else entirely.

His exuberance at solving the mystery faded as he calculated the myriad of new complications. "I'd better get mom."

TSOTC

Denim couldn't breathe. Twins. Two. As in more than one baby at a time. As in twice the feedings, diapers, and debilitating insomnia. Two infants that would grow into toddlers, into little people, tweens then teens! At. The. Same. Time. They would need two cribs, two strollers or a double. Twice the diapers and clothing. Clothing. Oh. Boy. Or girl. Or- what was she having two boys, or two girls, or one of each? At least two boys or two girls could share clothes!

Another kick to her battered insides almost brought tears to her eyes. The bruise was spreading, tender from the inside and out, while Donnie was thrilled because his formula worked. Not that she wasn't. Broken arm and ribs aside, she felt better than she had in weeks. But either these babies were crowded already, or super strong, or maybe more mutant than human or-

"Mmmphf." She let out a weary sigh, lightly resting her fingers against her tender flesh as if that would redirect her little ones.

If she could just get them to stop using her for a punching bag, things might be in pretty decent shape for the first time in a while.

Another jab. She sucked in a breath. Good thing Phoenix had healing powers. Denim swallowed. Hopefully she wasn't too mad about the promise breaking though. She was already undergoing a beating from her unborn, she wasn't sure she could handle a verbal lashing too.

TSOTC

Donnie gently shook his mother's shoulder as she lay against Splinter's chest. However, it was his father that opened his eyes. The look he gave his genius son could have turned a demon to stone. "What?" he asked slowly.

Donnie's heart stopped and he froze, his mind momentarily blanking. What was he doing here? It had seemed important a moment ago. Think.

Denim. The babies.

He bowed his head respectfully. "Mikey and Denim are here and I know she's tired, but I could really use mom's help. Mutant fetuses are stronger than human ones and while mom is naturally regenerative and Zoe is tough as nails, Denim, being fully human, is a little squishier. I could sneak back into my apartment to grab a local anesthetic for her, but what she really needs is some healing to keep up with the damage your grandchildren are doing."

Splinter's bushy brows rose. "Grandchildren?"

He nodded. "Twins."

Splinter stroked Phoenix's hair, bringing his muzzle close to her ear. "Phoebe," he said gently. She raised her eyebrows, but did not open her eyes, a testament to how tired she must have been. She was a light sleeper on the best of days, easily waking up with noise. "Denim needs your help."

That got her eyes open, though they were red around the edges. "She was hurt in the fight?" she asked confusedly.

"No," Donnie explained, kneeling down so he was eye level with her. "It's the pregnancy."

Again, her eyebrows rose, and with a deep breath, she stood up, sliding Yuuta from her arms where he had been sandwiched between his parents, into his father's. She looked about, her eyes landing on the young woman.

Denim reached out with her casted arm, wrapping her fingers around Mikey's. Maybe this was a bad- "Mmphf," she suppressed a grunt, as her little, apparent somebodies, walloped her again. This time someone in there bumped her fractured ribs. She sucked in, blinking back involuntary tears.

She looked at Mikey's mother, found the woman's expression unreadable. Probably furious that she'd broken her promise and endangered her... grandchildren. She was still reeling with the fact there was more than one, and part of her wondered what Mikey thought.

Not to mention his exhausted mother had just been woken up after an awful abduction. Not unlike her own merely a few days ago. Denim was stuck. When the pain was at its peak Phoenix's potential wrath seemed worth it. But as it waned, she kind of wanted to just go back home, to bed, to endure it.

She should probably say something, but nothing that came to mind felt right. So, she looked away, her casted hand still holding onto Mikey, her other cradling what little unbruised bit remained of her belly. Then, when she least expected it, words came softly from her lips. "Sorry, to wake you."

Phoenix, her face still a mask of calm, said unemotionally, "No, you're not. If you were, you'd let me sleep."

"Oh, that was low, Mom," Mikey chided.

She glared at him, feelings clear on her face now.

He let out a "meep," and held Demin's hand a little tighter.

Phoenix looked her newest daughter over, as of appraising a piece of antique furniture. "Why did you wait so long to come here?" she finally asked. "You're _hurt_."

Denim licked her lips, her mouth suddenly very dry. "Honestly, I broke my promise to you and to Mikey. And I kind of hate it when your mad at me. It really sucks." She released Mikey's hand to hold up her casted arm. "This and my ribs, they're broken, happened while I was abducted by my apparent dead cyborg husband, who I later killed for the second time in my life to stop him from killing Mikey. I would've told you about those sooner, but I felt that there were others in more urgent need of your care and I could wait." She reached for the hem of her shirt, inching it up so Phoenix could see. "This started during the battle. It was small at first, like I'd bumped a shin or something. Then another appeared beside it, again small. But over the past few hours it's spread."

She stopped her rambling, aware she couldn't seem to find the right thing to say to Phoenix and talking more probably wouldn't make it better.

"Uh, can we do punishments after she's ok?" Mikey pleaded, puppy dog eyes at max power.

"Don't try and guilt trip me," she said to Denim evenly, gently running her fingertips over the growing bruises on Denim's belly. She ignored Mikey completely. "I guarantee you I've had a worse life than you." She looked up then, into Denim's eyes once more. She put her open hand firmly on Denim's ribs, a surge of tingling that she knew as not pleasant feeling to the expectant mother flowing from her palm as healing energy surged into Denim's body. "That's caused by the baby," she said with authority, her chin jutting to Denim's protruding belly. "It will be doing it for the rest of your pregnancy." It was only then that her hard look softened slightly.

Denim flinched at the surge of power flowing into her, not unlike getting shocked by the collar Not-Kyle had used on her. She breathed hard wondering how long it would last. "Apparently there's two babies," she ground out. "And I wasn't trying to guilt trip you. You asked why I didn't come straight here, I thought I'd give you a timeline of what was injured where and by whom and the events that ultimately led us here. Do you have to be so angry all the time? It really doesn't make me want to seek you out for help any sooner you know."

"But we totes will because bein' healthy is super important." Mikey interjected, completely ignored once again.

He turned to his brother. "D, Why isn't anyone listening to me?"

Donnie shook his head. "Because you were, no still are, the reason my alarmingly penetrable lab requires 'Mikey, do not eat' labels on all the substance containers."

Phoenix ran her hand over Denim's belly, the bruises fading under them as she did, the surge now only a pleasant trickle.

"I am not angry all the time," she said tartly. "Michelangelo can attest to that," she glanced at him, as if daring him to contradict her.

Mikey was quick to confirm. "Oh no, she's crazy fun too and all warm fuzzies and cuddles. It's just easy to forget when the scary eyes are on."

Splinter came up behind her, Yuuta, now awake, in his arms. She could feel his body heat behind her, and she resisted the urge to lean into him. "Why do you have to do things that you've said you won't?" She lifted her hands from Denim's body, now healed of all of its current ailments, her brows furrowing. "Two babies?"

Denim sighed. "You know why, Phoenix. Everyone here knows why. It's not like I woke up wanting to risk everything. Actually, I wanted to keep my promise. I really did." She looked at Mikey, tears filling her eyes. "But the second he walked out that door-" She took a deep breath, swallowed her emotions. "It felt wrong. So, I followed my instincts. There was no one else to back up the team. Your family. Which, is my family too. There was no back up. That's my job. Everyone was in that building. I went thinking I'd just watch and hopefully it would go well and I'd go back home and never even fire a shot. But it wasn't going well. It was going to shit. I did what I had to. And I'm really, sorry, because I know this makes me look like a horrible woman who would risk her babies, but I can't go forward without Mikey. And I don't want anyone else in this family missing either." She frowned at her belly. "And yes. Donnie says there are two."

"Isn't that great? Twice the fun, right?" Mikey added excitedly.

Donnie put a restraining hand on his brother's shoulder. "I hate to mention this, but twins are a lot riskier than normal."

Mikey's eyes widened into fearful disks. "Risky?"

Phoenix turned to Splinter behind her, and muttered dryly, "She's a dramatic one, isn't she?"

The old rat wisely said nothing in return, however, Yuuta squeaked. Whether it was a squeak of agreement or contradiction, it was impossible to tell.

"Yes," Phoenix answered Mikey's question, her voice returning to its normal maternal tone. "Much more, risky." She sighed. "We don't even know what they're made of," she gazed at Denim's belly. "What sort of combination of person they are." She finally leaned backward into Splinter, closing her eyes. Yuuta put his little paw on her head. She opened them and looked at Donnie, her face forlorn. "We need a sonogram machine."

Donnie nodded solemnly. "I agree, but I'll have to get back to my apartment for what I need."

"Take Leonardo and Miwa with you." Splinter commanded.

Donnie snapped upright and tipped his head in a respectful bow. "Hai Sensei."

He started for the mounds of makeshift bedding at the back of the warehouse, where Karai slept coiled around a snoring Leo, but paused to bend over a peck out a quick kiss upon April's brow, whispering "be back soon."

Denim frowned. Then, feeling a fresh jab to her just-healed belly, she almost whined. It was going to be like this for the rest of her pregnancy?! Another jab. "Mmmm, _Ow_. Shit. Is there anyone here with the super power to get them to stop beating me up?"

Mikey tapped his chin thoughtfully. "What about April? Can she mind-speaky settle them down?"

Donnie cringed and cast about for an alternative, but finding none, reluctantly shook April's shoulder.

Her eyes fluttered open and she winced. "Wha...?"

"How's your head?" Donnie asked, looking into her pupils.

"Splitting" she answered with a tired smile, "which is an improvement."

"Great! Can you help Denim?" Mikey interrupted enthusiastically.

Donnie glared at him, but April pushed off the couch and staggered over to Denim.

"What's wrong?"

Before Denim could answer another kick made her flinch.

"The babies are giving her a hard time." Mikey supplied.

April's head swiveled to look at him. "Babies?"

Mikey nodded. "Yup. They're kickin' up a ruckus in there."

April's surprise smoothed out into understanding. "I see." She closed her eyes and concentrated. "They're a little crowded in there...I think I've got it." Her eyes slowly opened, still half-lidded. "They should be asleep for the moment."

She sagged back and Donnie caught her, helping her return to the couch.

Denim exhaled a sigh of relief as she looked at Donnie. "Thank her for me when she comes around. In the meantime, can the sonogram wait? I really think Mikey and I should go pick up Alli. I should get back to work tomorrow." Then, before anyone could answer Denim held up her casted arm. "And if this is healed, can someone get it off?"

Donnie gently laid April on the couch, careful to make sure she was positioned comfortably before looking back at Denim and Mikey. "The sonogram would have to wait anyway as I still need to finish building the machine. The cast is mom's call, but if she's ok with it, Aries can probably take that off. I'd better get going." He looked towards Leo and Karai with trepidation. "Hopefully waking Karai will be less face-grabby than Leatherhead."

"The cast can come off," Phoenix said with a wave of her hand, leaning her head into Splinter's chest behind her. "I think your arm is healed. But you'll be the final judge of that." Her eyes darted from Denim to Mikey and back again. "Why don't I go get Alli? It will give you two a chance to rest."

"You need to rest," Splinter said firmly.

"We all need to rest," Phoenix replied. "I'll take Aries with me, after he gets the cast off. Or Medusa." She got an evil glint in her eye. "No one can refuse Medusa."

"Thanks for the offer." Denim smiled, although thought it a little strange. Especially her mentioning bringing Medusa. "And thanks for the healing. But, I'm eager to get our girl and some snuggles in, now that I've got this strength-thing in check."

She fished her phone out of her pocket and frowned. "Plus, it looks from Connie's texts like my girls having nightmares." She looked at Phoenix. "Would you want us to come back here? We could do that. Get some family time together before we all return to the real world?" She glanced at Mikey. "What do you think?"

Mikey grinned and nodded. "Yeps. With all the kidnapping and rescuing, we've hardly had any chance at all to fam it up lately and I totes miss that. We gotta all be together again and I can't wait."

Then, instead of doing any number of things that might be considered getting ready to go, he bounded up to Phoenix and caught her up in a big hug. "Thanks mom. You're awesome." Setting her down with a smile, he added. "Maybe now you can get some cuddle time with dad and Squeaky Toy."

Vibrating with unspent energy, he took off, calling out. "I'll find Aries and ask him to take the cast off, so we can hit the road and get our Alli-bird back."

TSOTC

It occurred to Denim that if having one, half mutant baby was nearly killing her before, and two were beating her from the inside out now, that she might need to have a plan- in case something happened while she was at work. If anyone there called Mikey, who she'd listed as her emergency contact, no hospital would do anything he asked. At least not until laws changed. Who knew when that would be. A mutant could speak for another mutant, but not a human. And if she wasn't able to speak for herself, doctors might do something she didn't want. Even worse, if she landed at the wrong hospital, she would be the priority not her babies. "Phoenix, could we maybe talk- privately?"

Phoenix glanced behind her, Splinter's eyebrows rose but nothing else. "Of course," she said with a genuine, of tired smile.

"Maybe over a cup of tea?" Denim stood, looking around for direction. Something that gave them a semblance of privacy.

Phoenix led her to the kitchen with practiced ease, despite not having lived in the warehouse for many years. She turned the stove on, filled up the tea kettle that lives on it, and placed it back down on the burner. It hissed as the water on the outside evaporated.

"What is it?" she asked gently, leaning against the bar on the oven.

Denim sat at the table, one hand on her belly the other on the table, drawing little imaginary circles. "Connie is the closest thing I have to family. At least she was until Mikey." She picked through her words trying to figure out how to explain. "At work, we have to list emergency contacts. And I have Mikey down as mine." She looked at Phoenix. "But we both know, no one will honor anything he says or wants, if he's ever called." She snorted bitterly. "If they even called him. And I don't trust Connie." She motioned to her belly. "Not with any decisions that may affect them. But, you look human. If you were willing, were called and showed up, they wouldn't doubt you." She bit her lip. "I mean- I need someone who will do what Mikey wants. And at the same time someone who won't. Who will do what's best. And that's making sure these two are the priority."

Phoenix chuckled. "I _look_ human? That's a first." She took down two mugs, filling them and offering Denim one. "Usually I am human." At Denim's uncomfortable look, she winked. "Of course, I'll be a contact for you. We're your family, Denim." She motioned to the warehouse. "All of us."

Denim smiled, felt color rising to her cheeks. "Thank you, Phoenix." She accepted the drink, inhaled the strange aroma and wrinkled her nose. "What's in this?"

"Chamomile, mint, catnip, valerian, and damiana. A nasty blend to calm you down." She sat across from Denim, her own mug in her hand. "I think we can all use some calming down. I need to get some scents in here," she muttered to herself. "You know," her attention back on Denim, "I don't have an ID."

At this Denim smiled. "Somehow, between Aries and Donnie I doubt that will be a problem." She sniffed the beverage then scooted it away a bit. "Will they ask questions if you suddenly want them to make you one?" She drummed her fingers over the table. "Look, I'm going to be honest with you. I know my odds here are not good. So, I'm trying to form a plan and only sharing it with very select individuals who will each serve their role. I don't want everyone knowing about this."

"Neither Donnie nor Aries will ask. They'll just assume I need it for something I deem important." She pushed the mug back toward Denim. "Drink," she instructed. "You'll feel better." Leaning forward, she said, "You've got better odds than any other person out there, Denim. Everyone else doesn't have Donnie, April, and me. And you've me made a lifelong friend of Casey Jones. He's been trying to get me an ID for years.". She winked. "He would like it to be a legitimate one. But he'll be happy with anything I think."

Denim sipped the drink, finding it slightly less offensive than expected. Casey Jones... "I appreciate your optimism, and might even feel it for the first time now that you've healed me and Donnie's formula is working. But I have to be prepared. I need a plan that ensures these two are with this family if I don't make it. If either of them looks human, no court will let Mikey have them. I wonder if Casey might be helpful there... if I can make it look on paper as if you, or April are related to me will that work?"

"I might be a better candidate than April, for that," Phoenix said. Her smile turned sweet, like the kind she used on Yuuta when she was snuggling him. "I am your mama, now, after all. So, it won't be too far from the truth. And Casey will do anything I ask...and if he won't, then he'll do anything April asks. And if he won't, he can't resist April and I working in tandem. And with you on the sidelines," she winked and leaned forward. "I think he has a thing for redheads."

Denim giggled, felt a blush rising to her cheeks, but her mind was processing. A mother. _She just said she was my mother. Without me asking her to._ One who actually supports her? And puts her in her place when she should? Someone her gut told her she could trust to make tough calls. What gift had the universe sent her? Teary-eyed, Denim pushed back her chair and wrapped her arms around Phoenix's neck, hugging her tight. "Thank you."

Then, before the older woman could react, Denim straightened, put her soldier face on and spotted Mikey with Aries. One way or another, she'd have everything in order very soon. Next on her checklist, getting off this cast.

TSOTC

Mikey led a blinking Aries across the floor toward Phoenix and Denim. He was carrying a saw, it was deceptively small in the big ram's hands.

Splinter approached them, uncharacteristically still holding his youngest child. "I think it unwise," he said as soon as Mikey was in earshot, "that you stay in your apartment."

Mikey blinked wide, owlish eyes, looking around. "Why not?"

"Oh, I don't know." Aries muttered, sawing, "maybe because a bunch of psychos know where you live and can ambush you while you're asleep."

Mikey gasped, but recovered quickly. "Staying here sounds fun. Let's do that. It'll be like a big slumber party."

Aries rolled his golden eyes. "Oh yeah," he drawled sarcastically. "Totes fun."

"I know, right. Absolute genius." Mikey grinned. "I'll grab a bag to put Alli's stuff in."

Mikey hustled off, whistling cheerfully to himself.

As Mikey sauntered back with the bag, Denim opened and closed her fingers enjoying her new cast-less freedom. "It sure feels good, being healed and not sick for once." She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and smiled. "You ready to get our girl? She'll be thrilled to see Yuuta and Anton." Then she held up her phone. "She's been asking Connie about them. It's driving her nuts."

"I'm crazy ready. Let's go." Mikey crowed, taking Denim by her newly freed hand and gently tugging her towards the door.

As the two stepped out into a brisk New York City night Denim linked her hand to his. They walked a few minutes, just looking around as they made their way to the subway. People and mutants, albeit a younger crowd out for night life, bustled up and down the streets. City lights seemed brighter and the smell of fried food appealed to Denim. But she wanted Alli in her arms like now, and Mikey would stop for food anytime, anyplace. Maybe later, on the way home.

She lifted his hand, played with his fingers as they walked along. She should tell him she was changing her contact info at work. But something stopped her. Maybe it was just time for a break from politics and their never ending uphill battle. It could wait.

She kissed the back of his hand as they breeched the subway steps. He'd been kind of quiet for the walk and was jittery at the warehouse. But he could just be tired, or overwhelmed, or perfectly fine. Mikey was an assortment of behaviors. Sometimes they indicated something, others they were just Mikey being- Well, Mikey. "So, twins? How's that setting with you?"

Mikey bit his lower lip, not immediately answering. "Well, I'd like it better if Donnie didn't call it risky. I mean, risky how? Like fakie frontside one-eighty risky? Or fourteen forty triple cork frontflip risky? But aside from that I'm kinda relieved."

"Relieved?" Her voice should've betrayed her disbelief, but he continued on, oblivious.

"I love the idea of kids and wish I could have a whole bunch. But I'm also terrified to go through the you-almost-dying-a-lot process ever again, so getting a two-fer feels a little like winning the jackpot." He looked over at her with a grin.

Denim's eyes filled. If he was happy she was happy. As they reached the bottom of the stairs she tugged him to the side. Somewhere in her she knew she probably wasn't going to make it through this. Maybe somewhere, less deep than she thought, maybe he realized that too. Which made her sad. If anyone deserved everything they wanted in life it was Mikey. And because it was Mikey, she indulged herself in him, stepping into his fantasy world for however long it would last. Stretching up on her toes she reached for him, pressed her lips to his and allowed herself to believe that because they deserved it, because they wanted it, everything would be okay.

A short while later, Mikey and Denim, enjoying a brief reprieve from crazy people and failing health, sauntered up the front steps of Connie's porch. The light flipped on and Connie opened the screen door. She looked at Denim. "Alli's upstairs."

Denim's brow furrowed. "Okay? Do you-"

"Go. Get. Her. Take her to the kitchen and get her a snack. Now." Connie stepped onto the porch, making room for Denim then stepping between her and Mikey as Denim entered the foyer.

Puzzled, Denim turned around. "Mom?"

"Upstairs. Now. Denim." Connie kept her eyes pinned on Mikey, her body seeming to tremble.

"Well, let Mikey in and get out of the-"

"Upstairs now, Denim Nichole!" Connie's voice boomed.

Denim put a hand on the door, ready to come back out. "Uh, no. Don't talk to me like that, Connie. What-"

"Mommy! Mommy! I want to show you my new jamas Grandma gotted me!" Alli appeared at the top of the steps.

Denim's eyes darted back and forth between her daughter, Connie and Mikey.


	71. Chapter 70

So, Connie still didn't want him in her home.

After everything that had happened, Mikey didn't feel up to arguing. It wouldn't hurt to let her have her way. He gave Denim a cheery shrug. "It's a nice night. I don't mind waiting on the porch.

Denim hesitated. She didn't appreciate anyone mistreating Mikey. Especially Connie, who'd already put them through the twelfth gate of hell. But Mikey seemed calm, still chipper even.

"Mommy!" Alli bellowed. "Watch me! I slide down the banniber!"

Denim's head whipped around, her hands up. "Bannister? No, Mam!" As she ran up the stairs, Connie slammed the front door shut.

Grateful that Allison was keeping her mother busy, Connie stepped closer to Michelangelo. She let the storm door go next, it creeping shut before piercing the air with a resounding click.

That tiny sound was like a timer igniting the short fuse on Constance Sanders. Her index finger went up, her arm stretched out and she jabbed Mikey in the shoulder. "What did you do? Hm?" Her eyes grew wide, her lips pursed, she jabbed him again, then again. "What did you do? What did you do? Are you insane? She's my daughter! All that I have left, her and Alli! And what did you do? Are you crazy? Hm? Are you? Do you know what's going to happen to her now? Do you?"

Then her fingers aligned, forming a cup and she drew her hand back, poised to slap Michelangelo across the face.

He wasn't sure what he'd expected. Snide comments, silent glaring. Rude complaints. Not this.

He saw the blow coming. Saw it with enough time to run out, buy himself some snacks and return in time for it to land. But the surprise that she would do it, rendered him unable to react.

"Wuh?" He sputtered in confusion, his cheek stinging more with the shock of it than actual pain.

Connie's eyes filled with tears that spilled over as she pulled her hand back, her fingers curling into a fist. "She's my daughter! Do you hear me? She's my girl! I adopted her, I raised her like she was my own! Mine!"

Her hand shook, her fist making a pathetic attempt to strike Mikey's plastron. "And you're going to get her killed, I just know it." Connie sobbed as she made repeated feeble strikes. Her energy spent. "I just know it."

The older woman's thick cheeks were blotchy, she was out of breath, somewhere uncontrolled, desperate and helpless. "She's going to die, you idiot. The two of you and your stupid ideals have secured that."

She sniffled as she wept. "But- if you love her the way you claim, then tell her to end the pregnancy. And get the hell out of her life."

Mikey blinked in disbelief. She wanted them to kill...no that couldn't be right. He must have misheard. Or she was worried about Denim and it had driven her crazy. He could understand that. A world without Denim just didn't make any sense.

But to actually say that...

He hadn't thought about having kids of his own before all this. His thing had always been more living in the moment, leaving planning for the future to people that actually enjoyed the hobby.

But the moment he became aware of Denim's condition his world had begun to change, shifting and moving to accommodate this new reality, reshaping every part of his life around it. Even now the future in his mind adapted to the knowledge that there were two.

He could already see them. Opening their presents on birthdays, playing all his favorite games, tasting the amazingness of food for the first time. How Alli would adore her new little sibs.

Just the mention of tearing that future away closed his throat hard enough that he found it difficult to swallow. Difficult to breath. He didn't know how he'd endure losing this gift he'd never even thought he'd have.

She couldn't mean it.

She just needed to understand that Denim was safe. Because...because it just had to be that way. They were the good guys and the good guys were supposed to win.

"It's gonna be ok, Conma." Sooner or later that nickname would grow on her. "My bro and ma will see her through. She'll be ok. We're bound by chocolate now and that's the pizza of promises."

Connie leveled a gaze at the mutant on her doorstep, who'd sealed her daughter's fate. Denim had picked a complete idiot. Well- "If you think I'll let you raise Alli when she's gone- you have another thing coming."

Denim, wrangling a wiggling Alli whose arms were full of stuffed animals, loose clothes, her hair in two lopsided pigtails and dressed in mismatching pajamas, yanked the front door open. Then, as she pushed the storm door open she looked to the bag in Mikey's hands. "I could really use that right now. I don't know how I forgot it."

"Daddy!" Alli writhed, tossing the contents of her arms up in the air.

Connie huffed.

Sensing all sorts of nasty vibes, Denim's gaze shifted from Mikey who seemed absolutely confused, to Connie whose face was all splotchy, the vein in her neck pumping hard.

Oh no.

With Alli all but hanging upside down in her arms, making silly faces at Mikey, Denim's eyes started at the top of Michelangelo's head, studiously working their way over every inch as she inventoried him.

The only time Connie's face got like that was when she and Kyle had pushed her over the edge. It usually meant an actual whipping. Not that Mikey couldn't deflect anything Connie threw at him. But part of Denim knew he just wouldn't. Then- there- just beneath his right eye, a tiny gash. Denim's eyes darted to the ring on Connie's right hand. Oh. Hell. No.

Adjusting Alli on her hip, Denim pushed by Connie, reached up and touched Mikey's face. "Did she hit you?"

Mikey started at Denim's touch, pulling out of the unpleasant thought spiral that Conma had sent him down. She needed to stop talking about Denim being gone. Because it wasn't going to happen. Together for-evity-eves. They'd promised. Brownie batter promised. So, it was set, sealed and decided.

He covered her hand with his and put on a smile. "Just a misunderstanding."

Then he crouched down. "Alli-bird!"

"Daddy!" She squealed, running into his arms and shrieking happily as he tossed her in the air and spun her around.

Denim was no ninja in many respects. Controlling her temper might be one of them. Nor was she Michelangelo. Miracle soul with the ability to walk away from a bitter, angry old woman who'd clearly recognized that he wouldn't do anything back to her, lest she wouldn't have dared raise a hand to him.

As Mikey busied himself with Alli, Denim turned to her mother-in-law, quietly using one hand to open the storm door and the other to guide Connie between it and the front door.

The woman's mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish. "H-h-how are you doing that?"

"Oooh, Blue Jeans, super strength, remember-"

Mikey's voice faded to the background as Denim exerted her will to not break Connie in two. Backing Connie against her front door, Denim put a hand on the knob so she couldn't escape. Then, locking eyes with her flustered mother, Denim lifted a finger, pointing it at the end of Connie's nose. "Listen. To. Me. I'm not messing around. This is not a teenage prank. He-" Her finger diverted to Mikey. "Is not a passing phase. I. Love. Him. I love him more than I loved, Kyle. I love him as much as I love Alli. And we will be together. He's not going away. He's going to be at every life event Alli has, and we are going to have events of our own. What you need to ask yourself is do you want to be there? And while you think about that, understand two things. One. Do. Not. Ever. Ever. Lay a hand on him again. If you do, if you leave so much as a scratch on him, I will paint an exact replica on you. And it will not be pretty. Threaten me. Say what you want, throw your little fits. But leave him alone. And two, if you so much as think about using Alli has a weapon against us, consider how that makes you look to her. Because she loves him too."

Denim's fingers curled into a fist. "I want to hurt you so bad right now, because you hurt him and he doesn't deserve that. And he's so good he let you, and here's something else for you to think on. Not so deep inside you know he's good; because only a coward would hit someone they know wouldn't hit her back. That's why you hit me. That's why you hit Kyle. Because you knew you could count on our love and respect and you abused our trust. But you won't do that to him." As her hand began to twitch Denim felt her control slipping. "The real kicker, is if you treated him with the slightest iota of kindness he'd still forgive you. Maybe try compassion next time and I won't put a hole through your door."

"What?" Connie's brow furrowed in confusion. "What hole?"

"Uh, noooo, no we will not be punching doors. Nope. Nope. So much nope." Mikey reached out, gently guiding Denim's hand down, his fingers closing on hers, working his thumb to unclench her fist. "We're just going now. To a totes awesome slumber party with Anton and Yuuta. Say good night, Conma."

"Good night, Conma!" Alli waved, draped over the back of Mikey's shell as he quickly guided a seething Denim away.

TSOTC

Denim was glad she'd taken up Mikey on his offer to walk with her on her first day back at retail work. He'd disguised it with offerings of breakfast, double-chocolate glazed donuts from her favorite shop. They'd had to wait in line twenty minutes, in turn abandoning the idea of eating there, opting to eat while walking.

But when they arrived, she'd kissed him, told him to have a great day, and that she'd see him later... Only, when she came out of the locker room, he was still there. Pretending to shop, but judging how he was perusing feminine products she was pretty sure he wasn't even seeing the boxes. Okay. What was he up to?

She turned on the light at her register, cashed out a few customers, glanced toward the aisle and he was gone. Not sure what that was about. But, hello he was Mikey, so sometimes strange was to be expected.

An hour went by when her daytime manager, Heidi approached her. "Denim, the turtle mutant. He's your boyfriend, right?"

Denim's brow furrowed. Heidi had always been cool with mutants, but given everything she and Mikey had endured in their time together Denim kind of braced for the worst whenever someone led with this particular intro. "You know he is, Heidi. Why?"

Heidi's brows lifted, her eyes shooting to women's clothing. Denim followed her gaze, to see Mikey holding out a shirt, stretching the sleeve out as he pretended to examine it. What. The. Actual. Hell.

Denim shrugged. "He's... shopping?"

Heidi gave her a skeptical look. "If he's here at lunch, and hasn't bought anything, you've got to talk to him, Denim. You know I'm good with mutants, but loss prevention is not."

Internally, Denim cringed, as past security guard nightmares threatened to surface. She shoved them down and looked towards women's clothing again. He was gone. Her lips pursed. Ninja games, is it?

As the hours passed, Denim began to feel the aches and pains of a pregnant woman standing in one place far too long. She rubbed her lower back, stretched, triggered a muscle cramp and leaned against her counter.

Seconds later, Heidi walked up and turned off her lane light. "Don't lean. It's against policy, Denim, you know that. Lunch break. And time to address your stalker other half."

What? Denim groaned. "Where is he?"

"Well, he's been asking me when your break is, every five minutes for the past hour. He talks a lot and makes absolutely no sense. All I gathered was- "

"I've got lunch, Blue Jeans!" Mikey chirped, holding up two bags from her favorite sub shop.

Briefly forgetting his bizarre behavior, her mouth watered. Her eyes widening despite herself. "Italian?"

He grinned, nodding emphatically.

Denim keyed in the punch out code on Heidi's tablet. Her manager whispered as Denim handed it back to her. "Talk to him, Denim."

Her mind was reciting ingredients as she walked away, red wine vinegar, oregano, lettuce, tomato, pepperoni- She and Mikey sat in the cafe, as she eagerly accepted the bag. She'd eaten half the sandwich by the time their unborn babies insistent kicking settled. Slightly less ravenous, she sipped their shared soda and sat back. "Okay, so, not that I'm complaining about all the food treats, but why are you hanging around all day?"

Polishing off his sandwich, he shrugged. "Soul chocolate."

Denim froze. Soul chocolate? She processed for minute. Soul. Chocolate. Oh shit. "Mikey, are you saying-"

"Wherever you go I follow." He nodded, pointing a finger at the drink. "Any left?"

She passed it to him. "Okay, Mikey, listen, I know you anointed me with brownie batter and I-" She giggled. "I loved it. But, Hon, you can't stay with me every hour of every day."

Having completely checked out into his alternate reality, Mikey frowned. "Why not?"

"Well for one thing, we both work tomorrow. In two different places. How do you propose to be in two places at once?" She flashed him a skeptical look. "And do not point to yourself and say ninja."

"But" Mikey gestured towards himself "ninja."

Denim did not look amused.

He raised his palms calmingly. "Hang on. Hear me out. I've it all figured. Woody's worked it, so I'm cooking while you're serving the morning rush and then I'm on delivery while you're at the store. I'll deliver super ninja fast and chill with you until I have to go back for another load. See? D's not the only genius in the fam." He gave her a hopeful wink.

43\. Denim stared at him. Adorable with his bright blue eyes and genuine smile. Gods she loved his optimism. She'd missed it. Hated to be the one that brought him back to reality all the time. It was like leaping out of a plane with the world's safest parachute, to visit the playground of Mikey's fantasy world. But lately, it felt like she was a blaring constant reminder that they could lose it all in a second.

As she thought it over, his smile never faltered. He really intended to run around like a crazy turtle just to be with her.

She could count the reasons to justify him feeling the need to paste himself to her side. If she were honest, she was as scared of being torn from him as he was of losing her.

He began to fidget with the straw, then twirl the cup in his fingers. "Well, it's a totes great idea, right?"

No. But she wasn't ready to say that. There had to be a better way.

Heidi appeared, pointing to the clock above Denim's head. Her feet ached just thinking about standing behind her register another five hours. She had shit shifts, pathetic hours, and reduced benefits. She could easily make up the money in tips at the restaurant. Tapping her fingers against the table she mused, "Do you think Woody would let me serve tables full time? If so, maybe I could quit here."

"Ooh, that idea is even better. Totes amazeballs, Blue Jeans. And if I come up with enough awesome new dishes, maybe I can stay in with you as a cook all the time. I gotta call Woody."

He gave her a quick cheek nuzzle and pulled out his phone.

"Okay, hold up." Denim put her hand over his phone. "Wait. I want to give a notice, here. Two weeks. And," she hesitated, "they're on me about you hanging around. So, maybe I just text you on my breaks and you text me. If either of us misses a check-in then we stop everything and go to the others job for an in-person check in? You know, just for two weeks. Will you be okay with that?"

He flopped dramatically back over the back of the bench and let out a long sigh. "Why'd it have to be patience? Ugh. But yeah, I guuueeesss I can limit communication to emojis during work hours. If it's only a couple weeks."

Denim was giggling as she stood from her chair, leaned over and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. "Two weeks and we'll be near inseparable. Until then, I've got to punch in and you've got to either buy something or loiter some of the surrounding stores until I get off." She pecked him again. "Want to walk me back to the warehouse tonight after work? I'm off at five."

Mikey smiled. "Sounds like a plan, Blue Jeans. I'll be there. For now, I'm gonna ask Woody to get things rollin' for us. See you at five." He hurried off with a wink.

TSOTCTSOTC

Horace stretched to the side, trying to hang the last display garment without climbing down and repositioning the ladder. Just a little further...got it.

His triumph was short-lived as he realized that he'd overbalanced. Pin-wheeling his arms to grab for the ladder, he couldn't stop the fall.

And he didn't have to. Emerald coils encased him, breaking his fall.

"And I thought I wasss sssupposssed to be the one taking the risssksss." She chuckled as she lowered him to the floor.

He blinked, surprise becoming joy. "Medusa?"

"I ssstopped by to thank you for the good luck charmsss." She tapped a pouch on the side of her chest harness.

Horace grinned. "I thought they'd worked. When I tried a tarot reading yesterday it came back with good fortune...or unexpected travel. I'm still working on the nuances of the card meanings. But I'm glad everything is ok." He paused, thinking about it. "Everything is ok, right?"

Some of her mirth faded. "Mossstly. And what isssn't hopefully will be as sssoon."

He traced a finger along her scales. "You know, I still have that gumbo I could warm up. If you've got time, I wouldn't mind closing early and picking up where we left off."

The corners of her wide mouth turned up. "I think I can make the time."

TSOTCTSOTC

Zoe was aware that she wasn't in a dream state, nor was she completely awake. She was in an in-between space, empty and dark. There was something impatient inside her, pacing and hungry. It was her body moving back and forth in the empty space, but the feeling inside her was foreign... untamed.

She could hear Anton's voice prompting Raph, "And then what happened?"

But she couldn't see either of them and waded through the darkness, following their voices. She found the beast calming as it listened to Raphael...

"So, the hybrid, thinkin' she was goin' ta prove her Sensei wrong, went out with her new friend, Aunt Karai- I mean, her friend, who just happened to be a trouble magnet. An' the two of'em attracted just that. Trouble. The hybrid got into it with this jerk with a knife, but with a little reminder from her Sensei she did all right."

"An' you were her Sensei? Right, Dad? An' the hybrid was Mom. Right?"

Zoe was searching again, their voices closer, but everything was still dark. Something rough brushed her brow, tickled her temple and neck, as if it had touched her, but when she reached up nothing was there. Something else squeezed her hand, soft, gentle. She looked at it but couldn't see anything. Golden splotches began appearing in the blackness.

"Yeah, Buddy, I was her Sensei."

Raph sounded so, sad. Not her tough, bring it on, Big Guy, but someone less certain of his place.

"Dad?" Anton asked, and Zoe began moving toward the golden splotches, their voices getting louder. "You're a good Sensei."

"Think so, Buddy?" Raph sighed. "Cos' I'm not so sure sometimes."

The gold-black gave way to low light, two blurry figures holding onto her. She inhaled, cedar and sweat, Raphael, and the unique smell that was Antonello. As her eyes pulled them into focus Zoe reached up to touch Raph's cheek. "Don't fool yourself. You're an amazing Sensei."

His green eyes brightened, a crooked grin spreading across his face. "Hey! Yer back, an yer you!"

Anton flung his arms around her, pressing his face to her neck. "I missed you, Mom."

"My guys," Zoe purred and they all laughed. Her eyes were wet. "I missed you both too."

TSOTCTSOTC

Donnie scrolled through the changes to his software, pleased with how it had turned out. The most recent tweaks should allow it to interpret a much clearer rendering of the minute differences in ultrasonic feedback.

April draped a hand down to where he sat on the floor, shell to the couch with his custom rig lap top spread out in front of him. She traced a pattern out along the back of his shell, sending tingly jolts out to all his extremities.

"How's it coming?" She asked in a drowsy voice, despite having spent the whole day in and out of sleep.

"Good. The program is just about ready for a test." He looked up at Aries, fully reclined in the Lazy Boy, his tools scattered about him. "Is the transducer done?"

Aries held up the electronic wand for examination. "Should be."

He tossed it to Donnie, who juggled it in the air, barely keeping a hold of it. He scowled back at Aries. "Do you want to rebuild it?"

Aries got up, gathering his tools. "Nope. And I don't have to. Whatever happens, it's in your hands now. I need to drag Raph's shell to work before we both lose our jobs."

Donnie sighed. Yeah, because all of his overdue projects for clients were of no significance.

"So, do you think it works?" April propped her head up on her hand as she spoke.

"One way to find out." He replied.

Pushing to his feet and stretching out all the creaks and pops in his joints, he headed for the kitchen to get a bowl of water. Then he stirred in a teaspoon of the glucomannan powder that he'd picked up from a health food store on the way back from his apartment, waiting for the mixture to thicken into gel. That should be plenty.

April had switched to sitting cross-legged on the couch by the time he returned.

He set the bowl down and plugged the transducer cord into one of his custom input ports, initiating the ultrasound program with a few taps of the screen.

Then he smeared on some gel and placed the transducer against his chest. Immediately an amazingly clear image of his pumping heart appeared on the screen. With one hand, he moved the transducer around to see it from different angles, to the extent that his plastron would allow. With the other, he manipulated the image on the screen, enlarging parts of it and drawing regions for the program to measure.

"It looks good." April commented, her tone indicating that she was impressed.

"Yeah D, that's awesome. Did April knock you up?"

Donnie yelped and would have leapt into the air had Mikey not draped himself over top of his shoulder. As it was, he was juggling for the transducer again for the second time in ten minutes.

"Mikey, I just finished this and would appreciate it if you didn't break it before we have a chance to use it." Donnie grumbled, clutching the transducer to his gooey plastron.

April placed a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "Why don't you grab a yoga mat for Denim to lay down on and let Phoenix know we're going to try looking at the babies."

Mikey nearly vibrated in excitement. "We get to see them? Are you serious? Can they see us back? Will they know I'm waving?"

Donnie groaned. "Just go already."

"Right, D. On it." He replied, scampering off before he finished speaking.

As Mikey veered off to investigate whatever it was Donnie was up to, Denim bee-lined for the kitchen. Chocolate was calling. Again. She should probably eat something healthier first, but chocolate. The darker the better. She began opening cabinets, rooting through various containers, cans, boxes, none of which were brownies. Then she spied them. An entire unopened bag of chocolate chips. YES. She grabbed the entire bag and a glass of water, then made her way to the table. Propping her feet up in an empty chair, she tore open the bag, popping a handful of morsels in.

"Mommy! You didn't eat dinners yet." Alli, as if having chocolate radar, appeared in the doorway, Anton and Yuuta, like her right and left arms, stood on either side of her.

All three kids eyed the bag. Denim barely resisted the urge to pull it close to her chest and growl, "My precious." Instead, dismissing that idea, she sighed. The truth of being called out on your own rules.

Not having the energy to argue, she sprinkled a line of chips across the table. Hopefully, the kids could manage their sugar. The warehouse was big enough for them to run circles around. It would be okay. It would. So long as no one tried to come between her and her chocolate, she didn't actually care if they went ape shit then crashed.

"There's an interesting supper," Phoenix muttered, turning around from the kitchen sink and shaking her head with a smile. "You want Coke with that too?"

All three little ones nodded vigorously.

"Too bad," the older woman began filling glasses with water. "We don't have any."

Anton's and Yuuta said "Awwww..." In unison, while Alli pouted, "Then why'd you ask?"

Her grandmother laughed and kissed her on the head, putting a glad of water in front of both her and her mother. "Because I can."

Mikey ran up to the kitchen, excitedly bouncing on the balls of his feet. "D says the snot-o-gram is ready to show us the babies. And he's got a whole bowl of snot ready to roll. Let's go. Let's go."

He pulled Alli onto his shoulders as Yuuta scrambled up his shell and Anton grabbed his hand. With his free hand, he tugged Denim up to her feet as she protectively clutched her bag of chocolate to her chest, coaxing her out if the kitchen.

With a mouth full of chocolate, Denim allowed Mikey to lead her to the living area where April was unrolling a yoga mat and Donnie was fiddling with a transducer.

Phoenix followed closely behind them. "Have you tested it?"

Donnie nodded. "It works."

Denim tugged her hand free of Mikey's, mindlessly opening her bag of chips and pouring herself another handful. She barely suppressed a moan as the cream and cocoa coated her tongue. But as she enjoyed her treat her mind was drifting elsewhere, her heart picking up a fluttery beat.

She was going to see the two little ones who she'd already been through so much with. What would they look like? Her or Mikey? Boys or girls? Would they have all their limbs? Would something be wrong with them? Would they have been hurt when she was tortured?

A needle of worry thread itself among her hope, her excitement. Meanwhile, Mikey was fit to bounce out of his skin. A little nervous, unsure if she should just relax and enjoy getting to see her little somebody's for the first time, Denim opted to eat more chocolate. Hopefully, everything would be perfect. Nothing to worry about. Just a snot-o-gram like any other. Wait. That's not right.

"Mommy! Mommy! Lay down so we can see the babies!"

Alli was tugging on her arm and Denim looked from the ring of chocolate around her daughter's mouth to an eager Mikey. Yuuta was peeking, bright-eyed around the side of Mikey's carapace. Anton sidled up to April, his eyes fixed on the computer screen as if willing an image to appear.

Phoenix and Donnie both carried wary expressions, as if they shared Denim's concerns and perhaps more. And April held a small smile, a twinkle in her eyes. So, she was excited too…

Still clinging to her chocolate chips, Denim sat on the mat, accepting the pillow April offered as she laid back. Her heart was torn as she nervously shoved more chips in her mouth, she was part terrified, part thrilled that this milestone had finally come. One thing was certain though, no matter who they were about to see, they were already loved. "All right, Donnie. Let's see these two future pranksters."

Donnie watched Denim lie down with a mouthful of chocolate chips and ran some mental calculations. She wouldn't want to hear this, but she should probably increase her nutrition shake intake by fifty to sixty percent of the current volume. That proclamation could wait.

As Denim rolled up her shirt to expose her belly, he tried angling the screen so that everyone could see and poured some of the gel bowl onto her abdomen, causing her to jerk.

Then he went into science-Zen mode, blocking out the room to fixate on the screen as he touched the transducer to her now-slippery skin. Moving along her right side, the first shape to appear, in a tangle of other limbs, was humanoid.

With his free hand, he manipulated the screen, zooming in, selecting particular organs for closer examination, taking screenshot after screenshot from every possible angle to go back and measure later, recording the heartbeat. In the corner, he made a note. Female.

Now the left side. An outline of a shell appeared first, making it more difficult to see and assess the organs, but he did have some practice with this after Anton. Despite the higher degree of difficulty, he followed the same procedure, finally making a note of 'male's after observing the shape of the shell for an extended period.

It wasn't a worst-case scenario, but not a best-case either. For the moment, everyone appeared healthy at least.

56\. Abandoning Mikey's hand Anton climbed on the couch beside April, leaning over her shoulder, his eyes wide. "One of'em's gotta shell!" His hand drifted up to the top of April's head, almost in her face, as he craned to get closer to the screen. "It does! I see it! Do you see it? It's a shell isn't it, Uncle Donnie?"

April laughed, answering before Donatello could. "Looks like someone has a shell in there, yes. Come here and sit in my lap, you're too big to perch on top of my head."

Anton wiggled. "I can't! I've got to tell my mom and dad! This is awesome!"

He clambered over April in an awkward display, near falling face first onto the floor as he scrambled to his feet.

Denim and April giggled. Denim noted that neither Donnie or Phoenix had said anything at all and it was beginning to bother her. Everything looked okay. Why so quiet?

Yuuta dropped down from the shell of an unusually quiet Michelangelo, getting so close to the monitor his little nose almost touched it. Then he glanced at Denim and squeaked.

"What is it, Yuuta?" she asked.

"He wants you to laugh again, Mommy." Alli answered, wiggling in Mikey's arms so he'd put her down.

She squeezed in beside Yuuta, pointing a finger to the screen.

"Don't touch the monitor, please." Donnie warned.

"Well laugh, Mommy." Alli demanded, ignoring Donnie.

Denim giggled. "What am I laughing at?"

Yuuta squeaked and much to Donnie's dismay, tapped the screen.

"I see it! They're all wiggly when you laugh. I think they like it." Alli's pigtails tipped as she glanced over her shoulder. "What do you think, Grandmere?"

Phoenix drew her gaze from the screen, "Hold your belly and laugh, and see what happens."

The little girl did so. "It's all jiggly!"

"So maybe they feel like they're getting a little massage or something," Phoenix shrugged. "Come down now," she added. "Donatello needs to be able to see, and this equipment is delicate. When she felt that both Yuuta and Alli were being too slow, she snapped her fingers. "Now."

Yuuta grabbed Alli's hand and pulled her away from the equipment, giving a little squeak under his breath.

"Watch your language," Phoenix warned, taking a step forward and looking deeper at the screen. "They both look fully formed," she ventured. She'd seen the telltale Y of the little girl when Donnie had passed the transducer over Denim's belly in the right side. However, she hadn't seen anything to indicate the gender of the second twin. She looked to Donnie and raised her eyebrows. "Do we have enough information to make informed decisions?" Glancing back down at Yuuta and Alli, she said with a smile, "Even before they're born, little people can be uncooperative." She winked.

Yuuta winked back and laughed his squeaky toy laugh.

Donnie possessively pulled his screen back towards him while trying to keep the transducer on Denim. "It's still a little early, but as far as I can tell all the major organ systems are developing on track. Although I still need to take some measurements, they appear very healthy. So, congratulations on your son and daughter."

"Whoa. They're so cute." Mikey gasped in awe.

"One of them being a turtle is going to make delivery...difficult." Donnie struggled to diplomatically phrase his next concern. "Denim isn't quite as...durable as Zoe."

As if not hearing Donnie, or perhaps pulling a rare Mikey, Denim ignored his concern. "Son and daughter." The words were soft, a whisper from her lips as she gazed at them. Their very own little marvels, thriving against all odds. Her heart swelled. A boy and a girl. One like Mikey and one like her. How completely and utterly incredible. "Perfect," she murmured, never looking away from them. "They're perfect."

"They are perfect," Phoenix's voice was harsh. "You, on the other hand, are not."

"Woah, Mom," Mikey put his arms up, his let's-keep-it-calm voice in full mode.

"The two of you don't seem to get it," she put her hands on her hips, scowling deeply. She looked at Denim, "You have got to get your head out of the clouds and start doing what you're told, or you will die. If you die, then the babies will die, do you understand?"

"Woah, Mom," Donnie mimicked his brother.

"No!" Her voice cracked slightly and tears began to brim her eyes, "I am tired of all of you treating this like a game." Her gaze shifted from Mikey to Denim and back. "This isn't a game. This is a miracle that had little chance of happening in the first place. Twins makes it more dangerous than it was to begin with. Birthing a turtle isn't easy." Her eyes fixed at on Denim. "Ask Zoe."


	72. Chapter 71

Somewhat taken a back, Donnie wasn't sure what to make of Phoenix's sudden intensity. He didn't disagree with anything she said. Quite the opposite actually. But she was coming down a little hard.

As with all times of uncertainty, he opted to fall back on the safety of technical details. "Being before the war, Anton and Yuuta had to be home births. It would've been nice if we could make use of a hospital this time, but with one being a turtle, I doubt she'll be accepted anywhere. Shells being the complication that they are, we might need to prepare for the possibility of a home cesarean."

Mikey cocked his head to the side. "Does she need that cuz salads are healthy?"

Denim's mind was reeling. Phoenix's sudden anger was confusing. They'd just had a private conversation about making arrangements for the kids to end up with Mikey when she was gone. There was no way, with the planning they had underway, that Phoenix misunderstood that Denim didn't expect to make it through this. Which meant this was coming from someplace else. Not about her at all. And with twelve nightmare miscarriages under Phoenix's belt it made sense. But it would appear Denim had failed to make something else clear to her new mother.

In accepting the future for what it was, Denim wanted to enjoy what time she had left with Mikey and for him to enjoy what was most-likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience for him.

But, while she tried to figure out how to get that across to Phoenix, Donnie began exploring birth options.

And of course, Mikey didn't understand.

The second the genius brother opened his mouth to explain caesarean's Denim cut him off. "You know what, I'm starving. And we have time before we need to talk about these things." She sat up, gently guiding the transducer in Donnie's hand away.

Looking at Mikey she motioned her head in the direction of the kitchen. "A caesar salad sounds great. Could you maybe take Alli and Yuuta, get them to help make dinner?"

Alli sprang to her feet, already reaching out to tug on Mikey's arm. "I want to make hot fudge sundaes for dinner! Please! Please!"

Mikey got to his feet, pecking Denim on her head. "They really are totes perfect, Blue Jeans. One caesarean salad coming up. Come on, Alli-Bird and Lil Bro!"

The second the three were out of ear shot Denim scooted onto the couch beside April, frowning as she looked to Phoenix and Donnie. "You two may not like this, and I'm trying to accept it for what it is, but I don't expect to make it through this. So, please, please, let him have this. I'll do everything I can, whatever you need from me, both of you. But I need you to let him enjoy this. Even if it's just a little. He can't change what's coming, so worrying him about it isn't going to ease the blow. He's Mikey. You can't prepare him for this."

Her eyes tracked Mikey, already pulling contents from the fridge with Alli on his shoulders and Yuuta peeking under his arm. Then she looked to Donnie and Phoenix. "Give it to me hard and straight. Just not in front of him. Okay?"

Phoenix squinted angrily, shrugging. "So, you'll just give up fighting, taking care of yourself, to give Michelangelo some peace of mind before you leave him to take care of two babies with no mother? Because you've already accepted that you're not going to make it?" She gestured, as if taking in the entire warehouse, "Is that how you think all of them were born?" She could feel her face reddening as she spoke. How could Denim just give up so easily? How could she be so irresponsible as to give up? Those who assumed their lives were over usually had a short life after the decision.

She could hear Michelangelo in the kitchen, talking to the kids, Denim had sent him away, as if he were an imbecile. While Michelangelo tended to play dumb when he didn't want to hear something, he wasn't stupid. He was probably well aware of what it meant that someone like Denim would be squeezing out a shell from the most tender part of her body. And even if he didn't know the term caesarian, he would think it was the best course of action for his children and for his mate.

"You are sorely underestimating Mikey, also. You are denying the him the privilege of having you, after he fought so hard to keep you."

Donnie blinked back and forth between Denim and Phoenix before ducking his head to his computer. "I think I'll get started on these measurements."

Denim blanched at Phoenix's argument. Clamping her eyes shut to hold back a sudden onslaught of ashamed tears, she turned away. "I know." Her shoulders slumped as she drew her arms around herself. "You're right-" Her brow furrowed as she made herself look his mother in the eye. "About most of it. Not that I won't take care of myself, because I will and have been – aside from outside interference."

She rubbed her face, trying to swallow down the lump in her throat. "Of course, I'm not giving up, I'm just- bracing for the worst. I don't want Alli separated from her siblings and I don't want Mikey to have to fight Connie just so they can know her." Denim's eyes filled despite her best efforts. She was a soldier, but this wasn't a battle she knew how to fight. "And I hate that it's me that's putting him through all of this and I can't do anything to change that."

She began wringing her hands, mumbling out a confession she was ashamed to admit. "I'm scared, Phoenix and I don't want him to know it. We can't both be scared. I know what I'm about to admit is wrong, but one of the things I'm guilty of when it comes to Michelangelo is when the danger is upon the both of us and he wants to ignore it, I tend to let him lead me down that path when I know I shouldn't. We're not good for each other in that respect. Maybe we're each other's weakness. I don't know. I can keep us straight when it's anyone or anything else, but when-" Her eyes burned hot with tears. "When it's something threatening us being together- I'm- I- I either indulge in his world or brace myself to take the entire blow." Denim sniffled, inhaled long and let it out slow. "So, I guess I can't be trusted to make the best decisions for us right now. I'm sorry."

Phoenix's demeanor softened considerably as Denim spoke, the motherly look coming back into her eyes. "Denim," she said, reaching for the young woman's hand as Denim pulled one with the other, intertwining her fingers. Phoenix gently pried them apart and then held them. "You are absolutely not giving Michelangelo enough credit. Ah!" she raised her eyebrows, letting out a short noise when Denim started to argue. "If you weren't each other's weakness, you wouldn't be in love. And that would be a very bad thing, especially in the situation we are all in right now."

Phoenix sat down next to her and continued, still holding her hands. The golden ants were not coming, it was a simply show of affection and calm, nothing supernatural about it. "You are being unfair to both you and he by not letting him help you when you are scared. He will be scared whether you share it with him or not. And you do both of you and your relationship a great disservice by not letting him share your fear or letting him share his fear with you. Do you think he will open up and let you know how frightened he is when you put on a straight face?"

Was this what it was like to have a mother? Connie was never like this. No. This was different. Someone with actual life experience, that shared perspective and wisdom when you didn't know what to do. What a gift! And Phoenix was right. Even if the idea of sharing in one another's fears was scary in itself.

Denim's lip trembled as she struggled with a tumult of emotions. "No, he won't. I'm enabling him and you're right, he's completely capable of more. Even if it's hard." She squeezed Phoenix's hands. "Thank you. I think maybe I owe him an apology, then can we have a redo on the caesarean talk?"

Leaning in closer, Phoenix blinked slowly. "Remember that he's been a mutant all of his life, Denim. He's seen hybrid babies grow in their mothers and be born. He's not a stranger to this process, and he knows each process is a little different. He's fought battles you can only begin to imagine. Let him help you."

Denim nodded. "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to letting someone help me. I've always had to figure things out for myself. It feels- wrong or weird or something." Her stomach growled and she let go of Phoenix's hand to reach for her bag of chocolate chips. "I'm used to looking after others. Not them looking out for me. But you're right, about everything. I appreciate you and Donnie both."

Phoenix glanced dubiously at the chocolate chips, but said nothing. A bowl of chocolate chips was one thing. A bag was something else entirely. But, as long as Denim didn't blow up like a balloon, and she doubted she would now that they were all apparently living in the Not Haunted Warehouse again, it was fine. Donnie would take care of the details like blood sugar levels and what not.

She released Denim's hand and nodded. "No matter who we are, it is hard to ask for help...when we truly need help. It is a sign of maturity. And humility." She blushed slightly and shrugged. She would be the first to admit that humility was not her strong suit.

April returned carrying a steel travel mug. Anton and Yuuta flanked her on each side as Alli skipped about them. She held the mug out to Denim with a smile. "You should probably try to pack in another nutrient shake between the chocolate chips and salad."

Denim's nose crinkled in distaste but she accepted the mug.

April glanced back towards the kitchen. "Mikey's in a quandary over whether it's best to top the salad with gummi bears or mini marshmallows. Unless you don't mind ending up with both, you might want to pop into the kitchen."

Then she tucked herself back into the couch behind Donnie, wistfully eyeing the stills on the screen as he measured.

Denim smiled at April, stood from the couch and wiped her eyes. Time to pull herself together. Thanking Phoenix once more, and with her half-eaten bag of chocolaty goodness in-hand, she made her way to the kitchen.

Mikey had both bags of candy in front of him, eyeing them back and forth. She stepped up behind him, curling her arm under his then kissing his sleeve. She hummed at the scent of him, the way the closeness of him never failed to ease the ache in her heart. Smiling, she looked at his culinary creation. "April said you were in deep debate at salad toppings." She placed her bag of chocolate chips between the marshmallows and gummy bears. "These might be the answer."

Mikey grinned. "That's perfect, Blue Jeans. You are a genius." He sprinkled the chips over the salad while she took a sip of her shake, grimacing.

Mikey noticed and wrinkled his beak. "Really gotsta talk to D about makin' that stuff edible. There has to be a way to spice it up and keep all the nutri-goodies."

Then he presented the salad with a flourish. "Your sustimince, milady."

"Share with me." She motioned to the kitchen table. "I need to talk to you for a second."

He set the plate on the table and handed her a fork, plucking up a leaf of romaine lettuce and licking off the parmesan cheese. "S'up?"

She hesitated now that the moment was upon her. Where did she begin? She debated internally for a moment before picking a chocalate chip topped leaf out and popping it in her mouth. Better to just be straight with him. That's how she was about everything else they encountered. Careful to tone her voice so as not to sound either as though she were talking to a child nor condescending or mocking him she dove right in. "So, were you not wanting to hear what Donnie was saying about caesareans or do you truly believe he was talking about a salad? Because, it's kind of a two-part thing. You said salad, and I jumped on it. Like if you really believe he was talking salad, I was going to go along with it. In fact, I did. And that's not what he was talking about, and that was wrong of me. I'm sorry for rolling with it." She put her fork down. "So," her voice grew very soft. "Do you really not know or were you avoiding?"

He blinked in surprise. Not salad? Then why were they eating salad when they could be eating something awesome? Even with the upgraded garnishing, it was still lacking.

"Uh, I thought the salad made the most sense." He started, disappointed. "Cuz otherwise there's that guy history shows like to go on about who was big into leather skirts and leaf hats. And then there's the dog trainer dude, but the suggestions from his show never worked on Rahzar. Neither of them seemed like they have anything to do with babies. What other Caesar's are there?"

Denim has to force herself not to giggle at his various Caesar's all of which were actually legit. But none of them had to do with babies. She inhaled deep, picked up her fork and took a bigger bite of the salad. Should she let Donnie explain this to him, or should she? Seeing as she's the one that interfered and enabled, it should probably come from her. "So, the salad is perfect first of all. And, a Cesarean section is a way of delivering the babies. It's were the doctor- Uh- in this case probably a combination of your brother with Phoenix there in case anything goes wrong, cuts the mother open, kind of moves her organs aside so they can then cut the babies out. Everything is then put back and Mommy is sewn up. It's considered major surgery and is usually done in a hospital in a sterilized environment."

Mikey's jaw fell open and he dropped his piece of lettuce. "Wait, D wants to fillet you like a Snickers bar? Does this mean the babies are coming out face-hugger alien style because that does NOT end well in the comic books?"

Heaving a sigh, Denim pinched between her eyes. "Michelangelo, I don't even know what that means. I really need you to stop with the coping mechanism right now. I'm having a hard time not just getting up and taking a nice long walk outside to regroup, and I kinda want to swat you one, which I can't, and then again I don't want to- because I don't actually want to hurt you." She exhaled in a huff and rubbed her face.

He had to fight to quell images of the babies bursting out of Denim like angry squirrelanoids. Just because she didn't yet appreciate prophetic nature of comic books didn't mean they weren't right.

She'd mentioned D and mom cutting the kids out, which, while less messy, still disturbed him. Nobody else needed to be dissected when having their kids. It didn't seem fair.

But now she was looking at him, clearly expecting some kind of coherent response. Time to focus on what mattered above all else. "But you're gonna be ok, right?"

Oh no. Nope. No. He was not asking her that question. Fuuuuuck. Oh gods, there were the eyes. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, sorting her thoughts and choosing her words carefully. She reached out and took his hand, brought it to her cheek and forced a smile. "I love you." She hesitated then struggling with her own fear, doubt, and the fact that she couldn't let either of them avoid the scary stuff, she shook her head just a little. "Everyone wants me to be okay, and everyone's going to do what they can to be sure I am. But, no one can promise you that, not your mom, not Donnie, and I'm sorry, but not me."

No. What about their promise? They were supposed to be in this together.

Well, why couldn't they be? He had a magic-superhero mom and mad-science bro. That ought to be enough, right?

Determined, he darted back over to the living room, catching Donnie and his mom's eyes and laid out his plan.

"I'm not sayin' I'm gonna need it, but hyperpathetically speaking, if I asked you guys too, could you give some of my life to Denim? I've got plenty to spare and we promised to be in this together. So, can you?"

After a second of stunned pause, Donnie shook his head. "No. Not even a little bit. Survival is not a transferable commodity."

Phoenix smiled and took Mikey's hands with a sigh. Her heart ached for him. He looked at her with such an imploring gaze, the one that melted his father every time, unless the rat was utterly livid. "Oh, Michelangelo. You do have plenty of life to spare, but that's not how it works." When he opened his mouth to speak, she let out a sound that indicated he stop. "However," she said slowly. "I also have plenty of life to share, and I can impart some of mine if the need arises." And if everything works right. She wished she had better control over her power, like April did.

Mikey chewed on that for a minute before nodding and throwing his arms around Phoenix. "Thanks, mom. You're the awesome-est." He pulled back to look her in the eyes. "But, all seriocity, if you need extra life goo, the offer is on the table."

Over his mom's shoulder, he could see Denim approaching. Right. He'd sorta ditched her in the kitchen. Rubbing his head sheepishly, he straightened.

Denim sat at the kitchen table, somewhat stunned at how fast Mikey straight ninja-ed her. He was there one minute and without a response to her, he was gone the next. She looked around a second, wondering if she'd gone too far, then she spied him talking to Donnie and Phoenix.

Abandoning her salad, she made her way downstairs over to them. "What's going on?" She looked at Mikey. "You straight ghosted me. One minute we're having a talk, I blinked and you were gone."

"Sorry, Blue Jeans. Had a crazy-good idea for applying our chocolate-bond in practicality and couldn't wait to field it out." He frowned. "Turns out life donation isn't a well-developed tech."

"If by 'isn't well developed' you mean not at all, ever, then yes, I concur." Donnie reiterated. "You can't share your life force like it's a physical thing that fills you. Except maybe for mom, who exists in defiance of all scientific understanding."

"Just because you don't know the science behind it, doesn't mean there isn't any," Phoenix shook her finger at Donnie. "Even you have to reverse engineer Kraang tech, ma petite einstein."

Sweet mother of what-the-actual-hell had she walked in on? Denim's eyebrows shot up, her mouth open as if to form words but not knowing where to begin, she looked from Mikey to Donnie, to Phoenix and back to Mikey. Chocolate bond talk. Again. And something about life forces? She closed her gaping mouth and pinched between her eyes. He was taking this chocolate bond thing way serious. Apparently, for him, it had literal meaning in a very Mikey way and she'd not thought it through like should.

She'd have to be more careful agreeing to- Mikeyesque pacts, bonds, and other promises in the future. Like making very well-defined terms she fully understood spoken and maybe translated. She groaned. And they were probably going to have to revisit the terms of this bond she'd agreed to. But not now. In all truth she was exhausted, and they still had Alli to bathe and put to bed.

But she also needed to be sure Donnie and Phoenix had everything they needed from her. She looked at Mikey. "I'm with Donnie on life force-" She motioned a hand in the air somewhat aimlessly, "whatever this was about, doesn't sound uh-" Nope she couldn't wrap her mind around the concept enough to even finish that sentence. She sighed, then tried again. "Okay, you know what, let's just take this whole thing one day at a time in a responsible and serious way. Meanwhile, we should also try to remember to enjoy what we can, because we should do that too." She offered a slightly-less-than certain smile, looking over the three of them for approval as she added, "If that's good with everyone, do you both-" She motioned to Donnie and Phoenix, "have what you need for now? Is there anything you need me to know or do differently?"

"You should probably work an extra nutrient shake into your diet each day." Donnie offered. "With twins, the drain on your body's resources will be exacerbated."

Mikey huffed. "Eww, D. What's wrong with you bro?"

Donnie sighed. "Exascerbate means to make something worse."

Mikey flushed. "Oh. Uh...oops."

Phoenix nodded, agreeing with Donnie. "I think our main priority is just to keep you as healthy as possible," she said. "The more your body can do on its own, the better." She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I'm going to go get some sleep. I'm going out to clinic tonight..."

"By yourself?" April asked.

Phoenix laughed as she walked away. "You think Splinter's going to let me go out by myself after what's happened? I don't think so."

With everyone seeming satisfied with her current health status and plan for the time being, Denim thanked everyone once more, spied her daughter climbing on Anton's shell and bid goodnight to everyone as she went to collect her. "Bath then bed for you, Little Misses."

"Aw, Mommy." Alli pouted as Denim passed her chocolate ice cream covered child off to Mikey. "You too, Sir."

Everyone in the warehouses needed sleep, like a months worth. But they'd all take what they could get and they could get it a lot sooner with the kids in bed.

TSOTC

Denim shoved her purse in her locker, tugged out her apron and tied it around her ever expanding waist. She glanced at her phone before dropping it in the pocket.

Mikey: Call me if you need ANYTHING & Plz ck in. Love U.

She might resent being reminded to check in, if it weren't for the fact that this was her last day at this job. Plus, if their roles were reversed she'd be just as worried about him. A little giggle escaped her. Pregnant Mikey would be fun. In a way he kind of was, he'd started whining his ankles were swollen the night before until Alli 'examined' them announcing that he couldn't beat Mommy. That had prompted him to give her a foot massage, and that experience Denim was looking forward to repeating.

 _Better tell him something or he'll show up here worried._

Blue Jeans: I'm fine. We're fine. I'll ck in on break. Love you more.

Before she could drop the phone in her apron it buzzed.

Mikey: Nope. I love you more.

"Denim, you're going to be late for check in. Heidi is looking for you. We have trainees, so she's being even more strict than usual." Linda handed Denim a bag from her favorite bakery and an unopened water bottle.

"What's this?" She asked peeking inside. Her mouth watered at sight of a lemon filled, powdered sugar dusted donut and a jelly glazed just beneath it.

"Your 'baby daddy' stopped me on my way in. He said it was for you. You were craving them?" Linda answered with a smile.

"Wait, her baby daddy is that turtle _mutant_?" Came a stranger's voice.

Denim didn't know the acne skinned young man with Linda, but the way he said mutant didn't sit well with her. Apparently not with Linda either and she frowned as she introduced him. "This is Elliot, my trainee. Elliot this is Denim."

Denim fished out a donut and stole a bite. _Oh, Michelangelo you are sooo good to me._ She looked at Linda who pointed toward her lip and nose indicating Denim had powdered sugar on her face. Denim laughed as she wiped it away with the back of her hand.

She was halfway into another yummy bite when Elliott pierced her veil of sugary joy. "You know the state won't recognize your baby, right?"

Denim almost choking on her donut.

"Drink some water, Denim," Linda said, patting her gently on the back. "And Elliot, mind your own damn business."

Denim held up a hand to stop Linda, and looked at Elliot. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

Elliot snorted. "You don't read the papers or watch the news much do you?"

"You sound like you might have a problem with mutants." Denim said, then took a sip of her water.

"Nah. I didn't. Except now that they're getting our women pregnant, and those women are dying trying to have their babies. I guess I've found my line. We just need to stick to our own species you know?" Elliot frowned and pointed towards Denim's baby bump. "I hope you make it."

Denim's stomach soured and the babies kicked still wanting more donut. She winced as their little feet jabbed the spot near her belly button that was already bruised from prior kicks. She flinched, wishing Phoenix was there to work her magic.

Linda stepped between Denim and Elliot, pointing a finger at him. "You are aware this is a mutant friendly business, right?"

Elliot held his hands up in mock surrender. "Hey I don't have a problem with mutants. I just hate seeing pretty girls dying trying to make something unnatural happen. And the state does too." He glanced at the morning paper by the break room coffee pot. "Look, I'll show you."

"No. She's going to eat her donut. We're going to cover for her. Five minutes, Denim that's all I can buy you. Your replacement trainee is waiting." Linda motioned Elliot toward the break room door and the two left.

Denim felt another jolt from her donut-craving babies and took an absent-minded bite of the desired pastry, as she gravitated toward the paper.

She frowned at the headline:

 **State of New York suspends registration of mutant-human hybrid children.**

"Oh, no." She polished off her donut, drank half the bottle of water and continued to read. "Due to an unprecedented increase in mutant-human pregnancies and the corresponding increase in mortality rate of the mothers, the state elects to suspend registration of resulting children. The decision was made in an effort to discourage mutant-human relationships. Efforts are underway to repeal the same law that legalized such relationships sighting these new dangers. This is a double setback for lobbyists trying to get laws passed permitting mutants to marry humans. Major progress is still underway for mutant-mutant marriages."

Denim sighed. _Good thing Mikey doesn't read the paper._ She reached for her second donut, raspberry jelly filled.

Nothing wonderful ever happened to them without a solid fight first. This wouldn't be any different. She was putting the Hamato name on their children's birth certificates which they would have and that was all there was to it. "Try to tell me my babies don't exist." Denim took a bite of her donut. "Good luck with that one New York."

She hummed at the delicious pastry as she fished her cell out of her apron, popping a text out to Mikey.

Blue Jeans: Thank you for the yummy second breakfast, babies are as happy as mama right now.

Mikey: Told you I loved you more. ;)

"Yes, you did. And, we'll just handle this the way we do everything else." A smile spread across Denims sugary lips. "With a fight."


	73. Chapter 72

Casey circled the boxing ring of his local hole-in-wall gym. His unfortunate sparring partner, Davie, keeping nervously out of range. He must've sensed Casey's foul mood.

Davie messed up and backed into the corner ropes, depriving himself of an escape route.

"Goongala!"

To his credit, Davie kept his guard up to defend against the first couple punches, but ultimately faltered under Casey's assault, dropping to the mat after taking a few solid body shots.

Still not even close to being fully vented, Casey checked his anger and offered a hand to help his shaken opponent up. Davie would be sore but fine. Casey wasn't one for headshots in training. He didn't need to concuss his opponents to win anyway.

"Are we interrupting?"

Little Mama's voice pulled his attention to the far side of the ring.

The usual smile she brought came reluctantly to his face, fighting with the lingering frustration and, though he'd never admit it out loud, hurt feelings. They'd left him out. Like he wasn't even family.

He grabbed a towel from the ropes and pulled his headgear off to wipe the sweat away as he approached her, now noticing Denim at her side.

"Not at all. Surprised you found me here. Keeping tabs on me?" His smile felt a little more authentic this time.

Phoenix chuckled. "Gabrielle pointed us in the right direction."

Not surprising. Brie was fond of Little Mama and particularly loved the way Phoenix pronounced her name with a French lilt.

Casey leaned on the ropes in front of them. "So, what's up?"

Phoenix glance over at Davie, motioning him over as she leaned on the ropes. "Come over here, _petit_ ," she said. "I'll fix your ribs." She then turned her attention back to Casey Jones. "I have a favor to ask of you," she said.

Casey raised his eyebrows, dark eyes switching from Denim to Phoenix.

Davie made his way over, "Who's yer friends, Case?"

"Just thorns in his sides," Phoenix answered for him. She reached out and put her hand on Davie's shoulder, her soft vision watching as the blackening patches on his ribcage and stomach began to fade. Casey could knock out an elephant if he really wanted to, she felt bad for this poor blighter. That Casey was upset was not lost on her, though she was unaware of the exact details, she imagined it had something to do with the rescue. She tried to keep her stomach from clenching at the thought of it. "Go take a hot shower," she told Davie after a moment, "and I promise tomorrow you'll be right as rain and you can kick Casey's butt."

"As if," Casey rolled his eyes.

As Davie sauntered off, presumably to the locker room, Casey glanced at Denim. "How's things, Blue Jeans?"

Denim clucked her tongue. "Nope. That nickname is a hundred percent Mikey only." She smiled, forgivingly. "But things aren't all bad. Could really use your help though." She pointed to her stomach. "More kid related stuff."

Casey frowned. "All you Hamato's love me for anymore is my work. I mean how're the lot of you gonna run off to a fight and leave Casey Jones behind?"

"It wasn't like that, Casey. But I get how you must feel." Denim tugged on the bottom rope.

"I'll bet." Casey nodded. "Must be hard for you to sit out being preggers an' all."

Denim flinched. "Y-y-yeah- not exactly."

"What?" Casey climbed through the ropes, hoping down before them bringing along the stench of sweat with him. "First of all, Mikey let you do that? That's crazy. Second, how do you get to go into a battle in yer condition an' I get left behind? It ain't right."

"Uh- it's complicat-" Denim began.

"Ain't everything?" Casey grouched, cutting her off. "Like you know, pickin' up a phone and callin' a fellow vigilante?"

"Phoenix? A little help?" Denim shook her head.

"None of it was my doing," Phoenix held up her hands as if trying not to touch something. "I didn't have my phone."

Casey blushed slightly, running his fingers through his hair. "Yeah," he mumbled. He took a water bottle that Phoenix handed him, threw his head back and took a few long slugs. "So," he said, smacking his lips when the water bottle left them, "what can you use me for?"

"Later on," Phoenix said gently, "I can use your paycheck for you to buy me a nice cup of tea. But for right now, we need your advice."

"I need to make sure that if I-" Denim hesitated, her voice dropping, "don't make it through uh- delivering these two- twins by the way-" She laughed a little, uncertain sound, " _surprise_? Anyway, if I don't make it, I want to make sure they end up with Mikey. The best way we can think of to do that is if-"

"I want to adopt Denim." Phoenix finished for her.

Denim began wringing her hands. "If we do that, Phoenix will be sure Mikey gets them." Her brow furrowed. "Can she inherit all three kids, or just the twins? Will this work? What do you think? I mean Connie never legally adopted me, but Kyle was Alli's dad so- well she's taken her before." She rambled. "I just- I don't want them separated if I can do something about it."

Well shit. Now he felt like a whiny asswipe. Twins. Damn, not bad, Mikey. And Denim too. Probably ought to give her props too, considering she was here making provisions for her untimely demise.

Which wasn't gonna happen. Or it better not. He saw enough depressing shit without it hitting him where he lived. But if making preparations put her at ease, he could do that. Plus, she ought to be part of the family. And he'd finally get Little Mama some creds.

"Ok. Here's what we're gonna do. First," he looked at Phoenix, "we gotta hook you up with ID and slip you in the system. I know a guy. He can score you a birth certificate and social security number by Monday. Ever since his daughter got mutant-hamsterfied, he's had a bone to pick with the system shutting people out. Setting up mutants with official lives is kinda his thing."

He switched his attention to Denim. "Once that goes through, we can start processing the adoption. I know you won't wanna hear it, but ultimately the courts get to decide custody based on their perception of the kid's best interest and they do like blood relatives, but the legal adoption will help. Yer best shot is to make a will, designating Little Mama as yer choice of Alli's guardian. I got an estate lawyer who owes me one that can help ya out with that. Courts are good 'bout honoring parent's wishes, but they'll scrutinize the hell out of it if Connie contests."

Phoenix mild sweetly, A rush of affection for Casey flowing through her. He was a tough cookie, he always had been, but underneath that all he was a good boy. No, he wasn't a boy any longer. Just like all the other children in her life, he was a fully-grown man. They needed to find him a wife.

"You make it sound so easy," she said. "I know that it's not going to be." She put her hand on his shoulder and gave him a motherly squeeze. "Thank you for calling in all your favors for us," she said. "I wish there was a way that we could repay you." She chuckled, "While we're doing all this adopting, I could adopt you too," she said playfully.

Casey had to check his first reaction, grateful that Red wasn't here to call him out. She was joking. Ain't no way she could know what that offer meant. And he sure as fuck wasn't letting on about the mom-shaped hole inside him that he'd been hiding since he was seven. He had his dad. That was enough.

Instead, he forced out a chuckle. Followed by a short awkward silenced as he failed to come up with any counter-banter.

He cleared his throat. "I'll swing by when I got yer creds and the adoption paperwork. We can get it done fast for submission, since I'm a notary. And don't ya dare let on, that I'm anything so boring-sounding, even it is fucking convenient.

He looked to Denim. And my lawyer-dude will call ya. Same number?"

Hung up on Phoenix's offer to adopt Casey too, Denim didn't hear his question, replying with a thought. "Great, I'm down for having a brother." She laughed, then Phoenix and Casey stared at her somewhat awkwardly.

Wait.

Her brow furrowed. Then it registered. She would have a lot of brothers and sisters... including-

"This is so weird. If I live through giving birth, Mikey would be like my adopted brother- who I have kids with - and if the law ever let us, would like to marry..." She made an uncomfortable face. "My life is becoming so Woody Allen." Sort of? Yuck. Ugh. Damn laws.

"Speaking of Mikey. Ain't that him and Alli by the door?" Casey pointed behind Denim, where Mikey had Alli perched on his shoulders as he talked to the front desk clerk. A cute cat mutant.

Denim sighed as the cat's tail curled toward him. Stroking his pant leg. He was friendly as ever. Clueless too. She shook her head. He never realized. Unless- The cat mutant tucked a piece of paper in the breast pocket of his button-down shirt, whispered something in his ear and Mikey's expression changed.

Heaving a sigh, Denim shook her head and looked away. Why was he even here?

Then she remembered.

They'd yet to revisit the terms of soul chocolate. They were so going to have to do that. ASAP.

Denim glanced at Phoenix. "I have to Uh- revisit the wording on an agreement Mikey and I made the other day. It may take a while. Is there any chance you could watch Alli at the warehouse, so Mikey and I could have a private talk at our place tonight? I don't think we're likely to be attacked there, I mean we all have to move back in our apartments at some point right? This could be like a trial run."

As seconds of silence passed, Denim wished Phoenix would make up her mind faster than she was, Mikey was getting close.

Phoenix eyed Denim warily. "I can watch her. We can revisit moving back home later."

"Agreed." Denim whispered, smiling as Mikey sidled up to them.

Phoenix held her hands out for a lie and took a step toward Casey Jones. "We have a few things to talk about anyway," she said. Glancing at Casey, she added, "After all, you owe me a cup of tea."

Casey smiled. Despite everything, he always enjoyed hanging with Little Mama. "Sure. I'll switch to street clothes and meet you and Alli out front."

"Uh, Casey?" Denim reached out, touched his arm.

Casey's dark brows shot up. "Whoa, now, Denim. What's this?"

Denim looked him in the eye. "Thank you. For everything you've done, before with Alli, and now with this. I really appreciate it." She looked to Phoenix, while still holding onto Casey's arm. "Both of you."

Phoenix's lips held a smirk. "You're keeping me from my tea."

Casey chuckled as he pulled each of them into a one-arm hug. "Come on now, don't be getting' all mushy on me."

Denim inhaled and her nose wrinkled as the scent of sweaty-man filled her head. She wiggled free of Casey's hug, tight even as he complained to her about being soft. "Well, I am grateful." Denim insisted as he released both women. "I just want to be sure every one of you know it."

"Hey ya, Case," Mikey chirped from behind Denim, like a misplaced shadow that found it's person. He pressed his lips to Denim cheek, "Blue Jeans," his body shifted toward his mother, "Mom. What's goin' on?"

Denim shook her head as she turned to face him. "Nothing. We were just talking things over with Casey. He's helping your mom get an ID in the sys-"

"Mommy!" Alli interrupted, leaning over Mikey's head as she pointed her finger toward the front door. "Daddy was mean to the cat-lady!"

Mikey blushed and stammered. "W-what? No, no, no! It wasn't like that."

Alli nodded. "Uh-huh. You was mean to her. You told her to go-"

"Ack!" Mikey scrambled to get Alli off his shoulders. "Don't repeat that, Alli-Bird!"

Casey and Phoenix chuckled then Phoenix reached out for Alli. "Come on, Allison. We're having tea with Uncle Casey."

"Yay!" Alli squealed, leaping into her Grandmere's wiry arms. "Can we go play with Anton and Yuuta after?"

"We can." Phoenix affirmed. "We're having a sleep-over."

Alli's little features scrunched up. "We do that every night anyways."

"Tonight, your mom and dad won't be there. That's more exciting isn't it?" Phoenix looked at Denim then Mikey. Then she pointed Casey toward the locker room. "You shower. Then tea. Allison and I are going for a walk in the park across the street."

"We won't be home?" Mikey echoed, looking from his mom to Denim. "Why won't we be home?"

Denim ignored him for the moment. She had to figure out what she was going to do to set some healthier boundaries for the two of them and she wasn't entirely sure where to begin or how to go about it. Not when she'd so clearly misunderstood what she was agreeing to in the first place.

Casey sniffed himself and shrugged. Whatever Lil Mama said to do he'd do, but he smelled fine. He sniffed again. Nope. He was good. But- Lil' Mama said. So- okay. He watched Phoenix walking away with Alli in her arms. His heart fighting its lockdown. It really would be awesome to have a mom. Denim was lucky.

Speaking of, he looked at the confused turtle and his girl. "You two have fun workin' stuff out. I gotta hit the shower." He clapped Mikey hard on his shirt-covered carapace and winked. "Congrats on the twins." He waggled his dark eyebrows. "Nice, Mikey."

Mikey lit up, and the two gave each other a fist bump.

Then Denim cleared her throat. "Yeah. O-okay. You know what-"

The two looked at her expectantly and Denim sighed. "Nevermind." Nothing she said was going to make that any better.

Casey noted Mikey's confused face and Denim's irritated one. He didn't know what was going on, but Denim could be as confusing as Mikey at times and as determined as- well- a Hamato. Whatever was eatin' at her it wasn't nothin' to do wit' him. That was all Mikey. Time to bail. He pointed toward the shower. "I uh-gots ta go. Don' want to keep Lil' Mama waitin. Laters."

"Later, Case." Mikey grinned, waving him off. Then, scratching his head, he turned toward Denim. "So? What the shell is going on?"

Denim sighed. "Mikey, what are you doing here?"

Mikey canted his head to side, wondering why she'd ask something so obvious.

"I go where you go. We're bound together now, like mozzarella and pepperoni. You came here and so I did too. That way we're never apart. No matter what. Just like we promised." He explained eagerly.

His whole-hearted honesty made it hard for her to tell him no. About pretty much anything. It was also the reason she so blindly agreed to a pact she hadn't fully understood the seriousness of. At least to him. In the moment she thought it was another profession of their love for one another. She hadn't thought it would mean him literally trailing her- everywhere.

"I think maybe we should talk, about our soul pact. You know the terms. Maybe I didn't understand them." She blushed as she reached for his hand, guiding him toward the front door. "Which could be because chocolate was literally involved. But we didn't really lay out the rules to this binding. So, maybe we should have lunch." She smiled at him as they passed a scowling cat-mutant, stepping out into New York foot traffic. "Like we should have the mozzarella and pepperoni we are, at the pizzeria, because I have some paperwork to fill out for Woody, and we can talk about the details." She kissed his shirt sleeve, rested her head against his bicep as they walked along.

He was a little quiet, which she took for confusion. Everything was probably pretty straightforward, and sensical to him. What was there for her to not understand? Denim allowed him this time to mull it over, simply enjoying his company. Because there was a lot she hadn't counted on. As was evidence of him popping up every time she turned around. She loved him. She did. But if she was out with other members of his family she thought he'd take that for enough security that she wouldn't need him to escort her. Another misunderstanding on her part. Clearly.

A few blocks later they sat in a booth opposite each other, their lunch ordered and one soda shared between them as was their custom. "Just out of curiosity," Denim said, in between sips. "Could you maybe talk about your vision for your side of the pact?"

Mikey took a long, thoughtful sip. He thought they'd been pretty clear when they'd made the pact, but he didn't mind repeating. Thinking of their promise made him happy. "There's nowhere you go I won't follow. Always and forever. Just like I said. You go. I follow. Wherever. Whenever."

The pizza arrived and pulled a big, gooey piece from the pie, winding a long, stretchy strand if cheese around the tip before popping it into his mouth whole.

Denim leaned deeper into the booth seat, placing a hand on her tummy in hopes of stilling her two suddenly very active babies. Pizza was in their blood she supposed. Maybe that was a secret ingredient in mutagen.

As for Mikey's devotion, she was both flattered and honored by it, but she also knew that if she let the pact roll for an extended period of time without some- errr boundaries, she was going to end up choking her beloved.

"Okay, I see now that you meant this very loving promise word for word." She reached out, taking a slice off the pan. "But, hon, even married people aren't together constantly. They do some things apart. Because they can, and everything is okay. They still love each other. They just can't be together every waking moment. We can do that too. We can be together when we can and be okay when we can't, until we're together again."

She took a bite of her pizza. "So," She said casually in between chewing. "Maybe we should amend our pact to be together when we can, knowing we love each other even when we can't be."

Mikey choked on his pizza, coughing until he washed it down with a long draw of soda. "What? But that's what we were already doing when...when you were...I can't...bad things happen when we're apart." Eyes tearing up, he wrung his hands, looking down at them. "I need you."

Oh no. No. No. Not Mikey tears. Oh shit. It was too soon for him. There'd been too much and still was so much hanging over them. Nope. Now was not the time.

She dropped her pizza and held up her hands. "Okay, Okay, okay, you win! Pact stays as is. I love you, I swear, what I just proposed does not mean I love you any less. We're good- totally good- the pact is awesome. So happy right now." She leaned across the table, giving him a quick reassuring kiss that had him settling back in his normal jovial demeanor, happily reaching for another slice.

She was kicking herself internally, nearly as hard as the twins were. If she kept caving to him like this they really were going to be in deep.

"And further more..." A woman wearing a designer dress and shoes worth more than their apartment swept into the dining room from the kitchen, followed by a harried-looking Woody "...we need to update the decor in here." She waved about a very expensive manicure. "It looks like a pizzeria."

Woody's teeth were practically grinding when he answered. "It is a pizzeria."

The woman tucked aside an imaginary loose strand from her sleek, black hair, pulled into a tight up-do. "Yes, but does it _need_ to look like a pizzeria?"

"We've been doing well lately, but we really don't have the budget..." Woody tried.

The woman sniffed. "Just take money from something else." Then she turned, saw Mikey and screeched so loudly that it was a wonder the glass didn't shatter.

Wincing at the sound, Mikey waved. "'Sup, Mrs. K."

She rounded on Woody. "What is the meaning of this?"

"He's Mikey Hamato, the cook responsible for getting this place out of the red." Woody sounded tired, like this wasn't the first time he'd had this conversation.

She stomped her foot angrily. "What's he doing out here, where people can see him?"

"Uh, I'm actually off today and just havin' lunch." Mikey offered genially.

She pointed towards the door, expensive bracelets jangling. "Well, take it somewhere else. If people see you, they're going to think you're on a date with this woman. Disgraceful."

Woody mouthed an apology to Mikey and Denim, stepping between them and the owner. "I'm sure, they'll take that seriously. Anyway, why don't we go back to the office and go over your vision for the new decor." He steered her away.

"Gotta thank the Woodster later. Totes took one for the team there." Mikey looked back at Denim, catching her expression. "She hates it here, so we hardly ever have to see her or Mr. K. I just think of them as poltergeists, like in Revenge of the Chicken Shack 6, where they sometimes show up, have tantrums and make a huge mess. No biggie."

Denim's mouth hung open, she could catch a bird it draped so low. As Mikey tried to excuse the bitch woman away, Denim managed to snap her jaw shut and popped to her feet. "I _know,"_ she snarled, "that she does _not_ talk to you like that every time she sees you."

"Now, Blue Jeans-" Mikey's eyes widened, his hands up.

"No." Denim growled. "No. Fucking. Way."

"See- now _this_ is why we've got to stick together." He was on his feet as she made for the kitchen door.

Denim stomped right by him. That bitch was hers.

"Blue Jeans-" he pleaded, following her toward the office. "Soul chocolate is so great, see I'm here, so I can be sure you don't go tryin' to shoot our boss."

Denim glared at him over her shoulder, lips pursed tight, hands curled into fists.

"Denim- _please_ , we need our jobs!" Mikey begged.

Her feet ground to a halt outside the door, tears burning her eyes as she looked at Mikey. "No. Just. No. No. No. A thousand fucking times, no. We will work something out."

Mikey made a whining noise. "Blue Jeans, I really like making pizzas."

Denim's teeth ground together, her hand lowering for the door knob. A lump rose to her throat, crocodile tears in her eyes. Doing nothing would be wrong. Mikey putting up with this was wrong.

But they did need their jobs.

Hesitating for only a second Denim's fury rose again.

No.

This abuse had to stop. She would not stand for this. Wouldn't let him or expect him to.

Mikey was hers and she was his and she'd always defended him. Always would. "I'm sorry, Mikey. I'll give you soul chocolate. You can be my glue every day for the rest of my life, but you have to know I will never be able to stand by and let anyone treat you that way."

She turned the handle and pushed the door open.

"What is the meaning of this?" The woman's manicured hand flew to her chest, her eyes widening in fear at sight of Mikey lingering right behind Denim.

Woody's eyes became huge discs as he looked beseechingly to Mikey.

" _You_ ," Denim stepped up to the woman. Not even reaching her shoulder, Denim scowled up at her. "I will have you know that he," she pointed to Mikey, " _is_ on a date with me. In fact, we live together, and hell, I'm having his kids. And _you_ -" Denim pointed a finger at the black haired socialite and Mikey let out a whine from the back of his throat, "do not get to talk to him that way. He's the reason your business is making money right now and you should be thanking him. The only person here who should be ' _disgraced_ ' is you!"

The woman looked down at Denim, her face tumbling through an array of expressions, from horror at hearing of dating and children, then to amusement as she seemed to form an opinion.

Then she started laughing.

"You _can't_ be serious? Are _you_ , a dirty little pregnant _whore_ , attacking _me_? _Please."_ She waved a dismissive hand. "That's so cute. You're like a little yapping _dog_." Her lip curled as she picked at an invisible something on Denim's shirt, rubbed her fingers and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "If you had sex with _that_ then you are nothing more than a dirty little bitch. Now shoo. Go lay eggs or whatever you nasty people do when you allow yourselves to be violat-"

Denim's fist was flying.

Mikey wrapped his arms around Denim's torso but didn't even put a dent in forward momentum. She just dragged him along with her, fist flying towards Mrs. Karton's startled face.

Until Woody grabbed Mrs. K's arm and yanked her aside.

Denim's fist plowed straight through the back of the office chair and out the other side. Mikey winced, grateful that the seat was barely held together with duct tape because Blue Jeans was not as super durable as she was super strong.

A few tense seconds later, as Mikey scrambled to help Denim extract her hand from the mangled chair, Mrs. Karton overcame her shock. She screeched at the top of her lungs. "You're fired. You're all fired. Fired, do you hear me? Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out before I call the police."

TSOTC

They sat on the curb outside the pizzeria, Mikey examining Denim's hand. Some scrapes and bruising, but no serious damage.

"Well, that could've gone better." Woody sighed.

"I usually just sneak some stinky cheese under the floor mat in her car." Mikey said and Wordy snorted out a laugh. "So, know of any other pizza joints looking for work, cuz I think our apartment isn't big on IOU's?"

Woody shrugged. "No idea, but I guess I'll start looking."

Mikey smiled. "I'm sure everything'll work out. 'Sides, who wants to work for Mrs. K anyway? She totes doesn't get pizza at all. If I was in charge of a pizza place, I'd do everything different."

The corner of Woody's mouth quirked up into a smile. "I'd invest in that because it would be amazing. But my savings aren't even enough for a street vendor cart and I know you didn't even get paid enough to live off of. And I can't think of a bank that won't die laughing at the suggestion or would, if any of them had a sense of humor. It's just a pipe dream, an awesome pipe dream, but a pipe dream."

Denim leaned against Mikey's shoulder a blanket of guilt encompassing her. She seriously thought she was used to the insults by now. "M'Sorry," she murmured. "I don't know what came over me. Well that's not true, I totally lost my shit. Which is not cool. And it cost us all our jobs." She glanced at Woody. "I'm so sorry. After everything you've done for us. I will make this up to you." She lifted her eyes to peer into Mikey's blues. "I'm especially sorry to you. I know how much you loved this job. And you asked me not to, but I totally went after her anyway." Denim shook her head. "Like some serious rage." Her eyes widened a bit. "Yeah, come to think of it, I'm gonna have to talk to Splinter or Leo or Raph about it kind of rage." Her eyebrows lifted. "Or maybe Phoenix or Donnie. It could be hormones." She laughed, but it was a sad little sound. "Yay, the kids have me wanting to kill stupid people now, and we're going to be homeless for it. Woohoo."

"Naw, don't be sad. It was really cool and heroic how you stood up to injustice back there. You were just like Crognard. No worries. It'll all work out. I'm sure the universe has big plans for us." Mikey cheered, rubbing Denim's back.

"I think so too." Woody said. "I mean not about the part where you're a terrifying, animated barbarian, but I've been wanting to give her a piece if my mind for forever. No matter the consequences, it was really gratifying to see. So don't stress about it. Not working for her us better for my mental health anyway."

Woody stood up. "No time like the present. I'll start looking for something for all of us. See you guys later and let you know what I find." Woody gave a halfhearted wave as he prepared to set off.

Still feeling some regret, Denim watched Woody go with a frown. Then something Mikey said tickled her. With a gleam in her eye, she looked up at him. "You just compared me to Crognard." She giggled, then leaning toward him, stole a kiss and whispered, "that kinda makes me your hero, yeah?"

He grinned. "Yeah, you're totes my knight in shining armor. Or, you know, my barbarian in sci-fi, blue and yellow spandex. Actually, if we got you a Crognard costume, do you think..."

She gave him a look.

"Or Wizardess. I'm down for that too."

She laughed and shook her head.

"But seriously though, you are brave and strong, super-strong now, and good and absolutely my personal hero. I only wish I could be as amaze-balls as you," He added with a little weight to his playful tone.

She grabbed his hand. "You know you're totally my hero, right? And seeing as most people don't even get to _meet_ their heroes," her eyebrows lifted as she tugged on him to stand, "let alone give them children... well I think we should celebrate that. In our apartment. Which we have to ourselves... For the entire night."

His eyes widened, dopey grin spreading across his face. "Then what're we waiting for? Let's go!"

He scooped her up singing, "celebrate good times, come on."

"You are not carrying me back to our apartment." She stated, unequivocally.

He set her down, singing "celebrate good times, come on."

She laughed and took his hand. "Yes, let's."

After what should've been a short walk home turned into multiple food truck stops, that could've been blamed on their spoiled lunch, but didn't have to be, Denim and Mikey finally made it to their tenement.

"Come on, Mikey. What are you doing?" Denim held her belly, the urge to pee growing beyond uncomfortable as Mikey opened their mailbox in the lobby and began flipping through it. "Can you do that upstairs? I have to _go_!"

He frowned. "No new comics. I really need to check on my subscription. Either that-" He glanced around suspiciously, "Or leprechauns are stealing them." Then he pulled an envelope away from the rest. "Not sure what this one is. Don't think it's one of the bills."

Denim grimaced as she tried to counter the pressure of two infants on her bladder with her hand. It wasn't working. "Mikey, I've really got to pee, and you've got the key to the apartment. Can't we go through the mail upstairs? Pleeeease?"

"It's from Kalyn, Tyhme, and Cure Financial. It says it's confidential and-"

"Mikey!" Denim snarled.

"Right!" He cried out, juggling the mail and stuffing it into his shirt. "Can I carry you now?"

"If it gets me to a toilet any faster." She responded through gritted teeth.

He swept her up into his arms and sprinted the several flights of stairs up to their apartment, setting her down only when holding her while trying to get his keys out proved unfeasible.

He proudly swung the door open, with a bow. "Tada!"

She didn't answer, instead rushing passed him and making a beeline for the bathroom.

He untucked his shirt to dump the mail on the table. It all looked mostly serious. Except the confidential one could be a secret spy message. That sounded exciting.

Curious, he tore it open and began to read.

"If we ever decide to have kids again you get to pregnant next time, okay?" Denim exhaled in relief as she made her way to their couch, plopping down next to him. Putting her feet on the coffee table in an effort to elevate them, she noticed a letter in Mikey's hands. "Hon, whats got your attention?"

Mikey squinted at the letter. "What's a four hundred and wonk?"

"Wonk?" She asked, leaning over to read the paper in his hand.

Denim's eyes widened as she realized what the letter was. "Oh. A 401k. It's a retirement plan. It's putting money aside while you're working so that when you retire you have income to support you." Denim shrugged. "I'm pretty sure most twenty-two year old don't have one. I do because when Kyle died I inherited his life insurance and it just made sense to invest it so I didn't spend it. Then when Alli's ready to go to college the money will be there. I kind of forgot all about it. This is from my old job." She sighed. "I have to either cash it out or move it. But without a job with benefits to move it to..."

"It means we can retire now and become professional video game players!" Mikey exclaimed, before thinking a moment. "Wait, it's for Alli. Does that mean she's gotta start college now? Whoa, she'll be like Donnie smart when she's grown up. Can we get her a video game console, now that she's going to college? I mean they are kinda 'expensive though. I tried savin' up, but kept spending all my money 'for I got there. Is the forty-wonk enough? We can check out the knock off brand systems if we need to."

Denim filtered out all but the part that mattered.

Her brow furrowed as she read on. Then she got to the amount. "Booyakasha..." she murmured. "I must've made some good investment choices somewhere in there."

Her heart picked up pace as an idea formed in the back of her mind. "Mikey, what if opening a pizzeria wasn't just a dream?" She held up the letter. "It's not a fortune but I'm pretty sure it'll find a start-up if we're smart about it." Her eyes filled with hope. "Want to go into business with me?"

"Booyakabunga! Yes. That is the best idea ever. Then we can run it right and decorate with cool stuff, like my Crognard clock. Do we build one or conquer an already built one like pirates? How does businessing work?"

Denim pursed her lips. She was no college graduate, had never worked more than retail. Damn. There was probably great money in becoming a paid assassin, maybe she should've given that more thought after the war... It wasn't too late.

The twins rolled around within, reminding her of the reasons she couldn't actually reconsider her career path. Pizzeria owner seemed more respectable in the long run. But did she know anything about running a business?

"You know what? We could look into buying one thats in a good location and maybe just needs- well your magic touch. If it's a failing business we might catch a deal. It'll have all the really expensive equipment we're going to need and save us from buying all new stuff."

"Ooh, ooh, I know. We should buy Antonio's Pizza-rama." Mikey clapped enthusiastically as he spoke.

Denim raised an eyebrow. "How successful is that pizzeria? Can we afford it? Is Antonio the proprietor?"

"Propter?" Mikey blinked in confusion.

"Guy who owns and runs it?" She clarified.

Mikey grinned. "Oh, yeah. He totes was. Until he got mutated into a pizza monster."

"What?" Denim gasped.

Mikey tapped his chin thoughtfully. "It's kinda condemned now, so that should make it cheap. And I bet Donnie could get it up and running again, like he did when we moved in there during the invasion."

Denim held up her hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You want to try getting a condemned building back up and running as a business? One that's been condemned for years, if you were squatting there during the invasion?"

"Yup." He nodded eagerly. "Antonio's was the first pizza I ever tasted. Mind blown. Totes changed my life."

Denim sighed affectionately. "Ok. We'll check it out."

"There's going to be a major learning curve for both of us, but your family has several sharp entrepreneurs in it. We can have a family chat at dinner when we go back to the warehouse tomorrow. I'll just text April, Karai and Medusa a heads up. Can you call Woody, see if he's in? If so, we can pick his brain too."

"Can do. I bet he'll be so excited working at his old job again. Especially now that he knows me and I'm not ambush-buying pizza off him anymore."

She laid the letter on the table next to her feet, then sank back into the couch cushions. "We're going to have to win at this one. We're gambling with Alli's college fund. But if I'd bet on anybody," she glanced his way, a sweet grin on the upturn of her lips. "I'd bet on us."

"Me too. With the power of pizza, we can do anything." Mikey cheered. "Let's do this!"


	74. Chapter 73

Casey, holding two lidded Styrofoam cups, approached the park bench, their park bench as he liked to think of it, where Phoenix sat watching Alli swing, pumping hard to try going all the way around.

"Got yer boiled plant leaves." He handed her the shorter cup and sat down next to her, taking a long draw from his coffee. It was nice hanging with Little Mama. They didn't often have time like this these days. Life got busy and the stuff that mattered drifted to the wayside.

He looked down at his cup. "I would've come. I would've come for ya. For all of ya. If I'd known."

Phoenix was silent a moment, holding the cup he had handed to her, but not taking a drink yet. "I know, Casey," she said gently, still looking forward. "I would have called you." She turned to him, then, her eyes sad, and put her hand on his knee. "You're one of my boys." She squeezed it gently. "Even if you are a one man show." She winked.

"Yeah. He answered wistfully. "I get Leo shuttin' me out cuz he likes tellin' people what to do and Casey Jones is a force of nature. But I can't believe Raph didn't give me a heads up. Like I let him down, not findin' Z when we we're lookin' before."

His hand stung and he realized his grip had tightened, denting in the middle of the cup and dislodging the lid, forcing hot coffee over the top.

"Shit." He transferred the cup to his other hand, shaking off the coffee splatter.

She clucked her tongue and put her hand on his. The slight, warm feeling tingled out of her, and the red that was starting to form on Casey's skin began to fade. "I don't think it's that, _spectacle solo_ ," she said, her eyes back on Alli. "I think he was just so frazzled that she was gone. I am sure he wasn't thinking right." Though, she had her doubts, she didn't voice them. She couldn't see Raph leaving Casey Jones out of something so big. They would have needed all the men they could get, to simply forget a powerful player in their little army made Phoenix...uncomfortable. But then, the entire thing had made her uncomfortable. The only one who came for her was Splinter- _I'm the weakest link,_ she had to keep herself from thinking. And as the weakest link, she was at the bottom of the totem pole. "Don't blame him too much," she said, rubbing his hand again. "I mean," she turned to him once again, "if something happens to Zoe, who else is going to put up with Raph's _merde_?"

He snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, I guess that's true. Maybe, after I swing by the office, I'll pop in and see how the big lug is doin'. I haven't really talked to him, any of ya, since ya got back. I mean, I swung by Raph's place, but it was empty, so I'm guessin' everyone's back at the warehouse for now."

He took another swig of coffee, giving up on the lid entirely as it no longer fit the deformed cup. "And maybe I'll have a little chat with Leo 'bout the tactical disadvantage of havin' a battle plan that don't include Casey Jones."

Impulsively, he reached out and pulled Phoenix into a one-armed hug. "I'm really glad that yer back safe." He couldn't stand the thought of losing another mom.

She wrapped bout of her arms around his torso, clasping her free hand on his ribs and buried her face in his side. "I am, too!" She laughed. Then, in a more serious tone, she added, "I don't think *I* was ever in any danger.". She sighed. "Just my little ones."

"They were still hurtin' ya, even if they went about it indirectly." He scowled. Nothing phased him off more than people who hurt kids. And he'd been left outta delivering that person or persons a well-deserved beat down. It boiled his blood. "How're the kids doin'? Alli seems to have bounced back, but what about Anton and Yuuta?"

"They are both very clingy," Phoenix said, making herself comfortable against Casey's side. "Yuuta is having nightmares, I imagine that Antonello is too." Her voice cracked as she spoke.

Still looking straight ahead at Alli, she said "Casey, don't go doing anything stupid now."

Nightmares? Casey's jaw tightened. "What's stupid about goin' for creeps that hurt kids?"

Phoenix straightened herself, looking Casey in the eye. "We almost didn't get out of there," she said seriously. "There is no way Casey Jones, One-Man-Show it's going to be able to do anything on his own. You wanna bust heads of Pettit who hurt kids, get the babes of some of the parents of your kids, and we'll pay them a visit in the night." She paused. "Don't try to take this one on your own."

Casey wanted to argue, but you don't disrespect to your mom and Phoenix, in particular, had no patience for backtalk.

"Fine." He muttered sullenly. "But if you guys ever take another run at this one, I want in."

She patted his hand and smiled in a motherly fashion. "You know I'd never leave out Casey Jones," she said. "You're one of my boys!"

"As far as alternatives go..."

He had one in mind. Recently, a major douchebag had landed in his queue. Loser came from wealth and couldn't hold a job of his own for more than a week, not that he needed to with mommy and daddy still doing everything for him. Ironically, that had resulted in his impoverished and abused ex-wife paying him alimony, despite her restraining order against him.

And child support, since, mommy and daddy's high priced lawyers managed to get him full custody despite the history of violence. Casey' had met their little boy. Kid was four and terrified of his dad, but without a mark on him, the system wouldn't act, even with the testimony of the power's most recent ex-girlfriend on how he tormented his son. She'd also gotten a restraining order.

Where the system ended, Casey Jones began and this asswipe was begging for an after hours talk about appropriate behavior. A ride-along would double the fun.

"I know just the one. How 'bout we take a trip after I check in with Raph tonight?"

TSOTCTSOTC

Casey dashed up the steps to his office. After snapping his key off in his apartment mailbox, he'd been forwarding all his mail to work until his super, who was anything but, finally got around to fixing it.

Unlocking and opening the door, he stepped into a heaping stack, overflowing his desk.

"Brie." He leaned into the hallway, calling out.

"Don't call me that. I'm not cheese." Her reply emanated from her office.

He rolled his eyes. "It's better than Gabby, isn't it?"

"Anything's better than Gabby, so that doesn't mean much." She answered.

He'd figure an acceptable nickname for her eventually without using any of Mikey's weirdo suggestions. "Whatever. What the hell is up with the mail-splosion?"

She popped her head put from her doorway. "Randy from the mailroom was fired. Turns out he's just been collecting all our mail in a big heap and getting high instead of delivering it."

He groaned. "Fan-fucking-tastic." It was going to take forever to go through this mess. He didn't even know where to start. Annoyed, he kicked the desk, sending a cascade of paper to the floor.

But the letter landing on top caught his eye. The return address showed only the Hamato crest. Curious, he tore it open.

Leo's handwriting.

 _Casey,_

 _By the time this reaches you, our rescue mission should be well underway. If we haven't returned by the morning of the 9th, Come to the following address and find us_.

Wait, what? He read on.

 _And if you're wondering why I'm telling you like this, it's because I need you to actually WAIT for us not to come back in a worst-case scenario. And since, thus far, you have not demonstrated that you understand how contingency backup works, I need to assign your role in a delayed fashion so you don't IMMEDIATELY follow, leaving us screwed if we're all captured_.

Hold up. Was Leo lecturing him? In a letter? In a 'if you're reading this, I might be dead' letter? What the actual fuck?

 _So, for once, listen and hang back in case the worst happens. Hopefully, we won't need it, but we don't know exactly what we're going into, and, in the likely event that something goes wrong, we're relying on you._

 _-L_

Just-in-case back up? Really? That's what Casey Jones had been relegated to.

Casey crumpled the letter in his fist. It was a good thing Leo hadn't died because he was going to kill him.

TSOTCTSOTC

Battle looked up from the damage assessment report. They'd lost most of their mutants, though the ones not killed could be recaptured with time and effort.

The personnel casualties had been severe, but no critical human assets had been lost. They were replaceable and there were always more people. Increased recruitment could fix that.

He'd kept a hold of their Kraang Legacy, cybernetic and hybrid resources, so the damage was relatively light, all things considered.

Expect that he'd been outmaneuvered. By Phoebe and her compatriots. That could not be allowed to stand.

Unless he could get them all at once, coming at them head on would be a problem. They were more capable than he'd given them credit for. He would not make the mistake of underestimating them again.

A different strategy perhaps. He had other resources at his disposal. Ones better suits for an oblique strike. Ones through which he could break them down before the coup de gras'. It was passed time he brought those resources to bear.

"Sir?"

Dr. Vale, shifted nervously in front of his desk, having been forced to wait several minutes without acknowledgement. She tugged unconsciously at one of her frizzy, brown curls.

"You were in charge of the experimental modifications on our reclaimed hybrid?"

She swallowed hard, nodding.

"And your assessment?" He gestured a hand towards her.

"We thought she might be more receptive to retraining as a little more cat and a little less human." Vale stated after clearing her throat several times.

"And?" He prompted.

"It was working. She was becoming much more instinctual." Vale claimed.

"But?" There was a problem or she wouldn't be so shifty, even taking into account the extent to which he discomfited people when not actively trying to be pleasant.

"We intended to halt the process when she reached optimum tractability without loss of problem solving and critical thinking functions. But we can't now that she's gone. Unstabilized, her DNA will continue cascading from human to cat." Vale avoided eye contact, unnecessarily smoothing her already impeccable lab coat.

So, the hybrid might be a wash. Though there was still an opportunity to be had here.

"If that's all, you may go." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

Exhaling a breath, she'd been holding since her pronouncement, she gave a quick nod and fled his office.

He waited before buzzing in his next problem.

Hun strode in with more confidence than he had a right to. "I'm here for my next assignment. I've got to be done mutant-watching as an undercover gangbanger, right?"

He'd been selected from among the hybrid trainers to keep tabs on the moves of the Foot, who's international crime syndicate had been accumulating a concerning amount of wealth and power. And when that ended...badly, had been relegated to his current position, seeming to now believe that he'd earned a promotion.

"You'll go after the hybrid we lost." He stated blandly.

Hun blinked. "What? You want that back?"

"No. I want you to use it against the mutants who attacked us." He clarified.

Hun frowned. "Like I haven't had enough of them."

Battle froze him with a look. "You'll as your told and be grateful for the chance. And" he paused for effect "don't ever betray me again."

Hun's eyes widened.

He stood and Hun shrank back. "How long did you know what Phoenix was without telling me?"

Hun's mouth fell open. "I... I wasn't sure." He withered under Battle's glare. "It will never happen again, sir."

"See that it doesn't." Battle's voice came out cold and sharp, like ice. "Or I'll see to your discipline personally."

Hun gulped. "Yes, sir."

Battle waved him away. "Dismissed. And do not disappoint me."

TSOTCTSOTC

Horace padded around his small apartment in the early morning sun, fixing himself a light breakfast of toast, hardboiled eggs and coffee. Despite how everyone touted breakfast as the most important meal of the day, he found that he felt better, more focused and energetic, if he ate little or none of it, putting off his first real meal until noon.

His phone beeped a reminder, as if he needed it. Who could forget a date with Medusa? While they did try and get out for new and unique experiences, such as the off-Broadway musical he'd talked her into last week, they'd found a comfortable rhythm to enjoy.

While she seemed to like, or was at least amused by, his displays of chivalry, that only went so far as it didn't displace practicality. So his attempts at being the one to always provide dinner had been quickly and emphatically squelched.

Instead, she now procured the ingredients and he provided the family recipes, thank goodness his grandparents had been ones for making community-sized meals, and they cooked together, usually at the warehouse where she lived with her brothers, who still treated him with a measure of polite caution. But he was sure he'd win them over, sooner or later.

His morning routine used to include checking his business's social media accounts and online reviews, but lately the feedback had made him want to avoid the internet. It had gotten so bad, he had to disable comments on his accounts as he didn't have time to delete all the inappropriate, hateful ones that seemed to pile up recently. The trolls would get bored and move on to a fresh target in time. He'd just have to wait it out.

But, as he squeezed his way down the steps to the store, he froze at what he saw.

It was eerily reminiscent of stories his grandparents had told him about their youth, walking the line between not wanting to burden him and needing him to understand. His gram had been fair-skinned, likely a sign of blended ancestry that had been acceptable under the right set of appropriately exploitive circumstances, so long as she didn't pretend above the station socially assigned to her. But it hadn't been uncommon for her to be mistaken for white by the unobservant, an assumption that often turned dangerous when she'd been out with his gramps.

Those days were supposed to be long past, part of a history that they'd overcome though there still was a long way to go. But it seemed history was a twisted cycle, repeating itself, swapping out a minor detail here and there as it came full circle to start again, stark proof that they'd learned nothing.

Even reading it backwards, he could tell what it said, the thick red paint, scrawled in sloppy strokes all the way across the glass doors of the entrance. A new variation on the ugly intolerance his grandparents had faced two generations prior, tailored to Medusa and him.

Bestiality.

TSOTCTSOTC

Denim heaved a mighty sigh as the pizzeria doors shut behind her. If she'd thought their old boss was the devil their new one just demoted Mrs. K to devil's advocate. She leaned against the building corner, pinching between her closed eyes as she took focused breaths. Everything about her was uncomfortable, from throbbing, swollen feet to the ache in her lower back, to her straining belly. Why not top it off with a pending migraine and a shitty boss?

Though they could've used the money, she was kind of glad Mr. Dixon hadn't offered to let her pick up the extra serving shift when it came available. It was _why_ he hadn't offered it to her, that was the problem. Once he'd figured out she and Mikey were a couple and that he was the father of her unborn children, the new devil pretty much gave them both the worst shifts with the shittiest hours.

She glanced at the delivery scooter stations, all were empty. He was still out finishing up his last run. Pushing the latest newspaper clipping to the side, Denim tugged her phone from her purse and sent him a message.

 _Going to visit with April and Karai at AFE. XO-_

Realizing the clipping was beneath her phone she frowned. The morning's headlines were near as discouraging as their new temporary employer.

 **Seven Confirmed Dead in New York General Labor & Delivery Wing Bombing**

Because being pregnant and facing the prospect of giving birth to mutant children wasn't terrifying enough. Shoving the paper back in her bag, she hoped Mikey continued to turn a blind eye to the news. In the mean time she couldn't deny the urge to do something about it.

She frowned at her phone. He hadn't replied yet. Maybe he was with a customer. Hopefully nothing bad was happening. Tensions were on a rising high between mutants and humans, that hadn't been seen at this level since the war. She worried, knowing he was knocking on stranger's doors ready to deliver their lunch or dinner. Yes, he was more than capable of handling himself, but the element of surprise and with terrorist behaviors at an all-time high… She checked her phone again. No wonder he didn't want to leave her side. Must everything be a struggle?

Maybe their pizzeria was the only thing on the right track, but until it was up and running they had bills to pay. More bullshit to endure. She glanced in the direction of Times Square, the smoke still billowing from the Office of Mutant Services. The third bombing this month. As she stepped on the subway platform awaiting her train, she checked the time again. If he didn't reply in the next ten minutes she was going to call.

Her train slid to a stop and she stepped on, mulling over how she could help with the mutant and human relations problems. How did one combat terrorism? Karai and April would be just as helpful on that front as they would be with the business questions she had. Unzipping the middle of her purse, she dug around until she found the forms she had half completed, uncertain what to write in some places. Who would've ever thought starting up a business would be this confusing? She picked at the corner, sighing at the mutant involvement questions. Discrimination was everywhere. And if _she_ was sick of it, how must the rest of the Hamato clan or mutant's everywhere else feel?

She walked the last block, frowning at the small crowd of humans picketing in front of the AFE office building. A glance at some of the signs had her blood boiling.

 **Reinstate Mutant Segregation**

 **Repeal Mutant Citizenship**

 **No Rights for Abominations**

 **No Rights for Mutants or Hybrids!**

Unable to look anymore, Denim frowned as she faced a new problem. She had to walk by them in order to get in the building. She glanced at their hands, scanned waists for guns. In no condition to fight anyone, she opted to call ahead for reinforcements. Then she saw Mikey's text had come through.

 _On my way! Don't try going in without me. Not too good there right now._

She sighed. As usual, he knew more than he let on. She pecked out her assurance that she was calling upstairs for back up and would see him when he got there. Reminding him to take his own advice, then she called the AFE office number.

Karai glanced at her phone as it buzzed in get leather jacket pocket. She let out a small noise that might have been annoyance or acknowledgement. "Denim's downstairs," she told April. "I'll go get fetch her."

April didn't even look up from the news feeds on her tablet, frowning at the the inexplicable rise in tensions and spiking violence. It didn't make sense. Yes, there was the baby boom of frightening health risks, but still...

"Yeah, you better hurry."

She could hear the chanting of the protesters as she descended the stairs. She wondered, not for the first time, if they had any connection to the latest untraceable message the AFE had received. "I am watching, waiting, moving. JJE".

Denim tried not to hear the chants as she waited across the street, finally seeing Karai march right down the front steps, head high, shoulders square as if daring anyone to touch her. Denim felt a stab of jealousy, seeing as Karai's way and her own were not terribly different; except for her current condition.

As the two made eye contact Denim waited for the crossing light to change then waddled over, keeping close to Karai as she followed her by the chanting picketers.

"No rights for mutants! No rights for hybrids! No rights for mutants! No rights for-"

The crowd was stunned to brief silence when Karai paused in the doorway, Denim safe in the foyer, then turned toward them and let her snake face show.

Denim giggled at their slack jaw expressions. "You better hope no one took a picture. April will not be happy for the negative PR."

Karai rolled her golden eyes, "Like we don't already have negative PR. Damn bigots," she muttered. She hated not being able to *do* something, being stuck behind a computer screen. She was used to it, good at it, but she didn't like the feeling of stagnation that came with it. "That was me taking it easy on them," she almost spat, as she began to climb the stairs. "I'd have bitten someone's ass if I wanted the negative PR.". She glanced behind her, delicate black brows furrowing at Denim's attempt to navigate the stairs.

"I'm good," Denim panted, stopping to lean against the railing. "Jus- get a little winded these days."

After a few focused breaths she pressed on following Karai into the office.

"We're back!" Karai bellowed, stomping over to a paper-covered desk. They were neatly stacked in something that looked like it might be a semblance of organization. Then motioning a hand toward the chairs opposite her, she more or less ordered Denim to sit.

Karai was somewhat of an acquired taste, one which Denim respected early on when she'd been instrumental in reconciling a brief break up between her and Mikey. "So, what-" Karai began then stopped, looking around then bellowing, "I said we're back! April?"

They heard a splash followed by a sharp yelp from outside.

April reappeared from the rear restroom, setting down an empty, steel bucket. "Someone suspicious was trying to pick the lock on the back door. It's taken care of."

She eased back into her desk chair. "So, Denim, what brings you through the gauntlet?"

Eyebrows raised as she briefly pondered what might've been in the bucket, Denim quickly dismissed the thought to get down to business. "Hi, April."

Reaching for her purse, Denim dug out the paper clipping and the incomplete business forms. "Unfortunately, it's- well literally business stuff for AFE, and the pizzeria. I'm not sure how to answer some of the questions on these applications for the business, and I want to fight the state's ban on registering hybrid children. I'm not sure where to start. And you are two of the most resourceful women I know, so, _help_ , please?"

She made a face that belied her exhaustion, rubbing the top of her belly where a baby foot pushed against her ribs as though she were a trampoline. "Oh, and, uh Mikey will be here any second. He kinda goes wherever I go these days."

April glanced towards the windows. "For his sake, I hope the crowd is a little less vulgar than usual. The AFE offices haven't been all that welcoming lately."

She shook her head and looked back at Denim. "We've been discussing what to do about the new law. The fastest solution would be to challenge it in court as unconstitutional in light of the mutant citizenship amendment, but we don't want to risk that getting overturned. We could play it safe and try to repeal it with a petition, but the amount of signatures needed will be...well, let's say that route is labor-intensive and we may not even get all we need no matter how hard we work.

"But the bureaucratic hoops for your pizzeria ought to be a breeze." She tried working up a smile, holding out her hand." Let's take a look at those forms."

Karai was looking at her cell phone as Denim handed the papers over to April. "I filled out everything I knew. We've got a lot of the money in cash from my 401K. We just need a small loan to cover the difference. Everything seemed fine until they specifically asked about mutant involvement." She frowned. "I don't want to mess this up, but I also hate worrying they'll discriminate against Mikey." She cast a skeptic-but-admittedly hopeful look in April's direction. "I don't suppose there are any special loan programs for mutants yet, are there? I know sometimes there are programs to help minorities, but in our experience they seem virtually nonexistent, or have some kind of terrible catch that makes it not worth it."

"You don't go to the bank for your loans," Karai replied without looking up from her phone. When no one said anything, she drew her eyes to them, brows furrowing. "What?"

"Where is she supposed to get a loan?" April asked.

Karai rolled her eyes. Dumb white people. Then she laughed. She was mated to a turtle-man, and yet, that old cliché' still edged its way into her mind. "You get a community loan."

"A community loan?"

"All minorities do it," Karai replied, shaking her head. "We did it."

"We did?" April asked.

Karai sighed heavily. "Yes," she put her phone down on the desk with a rattle. "You get the people in your community to chip in, with tiny microloans, and pay them back. Or, you find someone with a lot of money and get the loan from them. Sans bank." After a pause, she shrugged. "Or, you just _get_ the money."

Setting aside the last suggestion, which she hoped wasn't serious but with Karai it was hard to tell as some habits could be difficult to kick, she reflected on her sister's words. A loan hadn't been necessary for her and Donnie's business. They'd started out of their home with him able to create just about anything they needed from salvaged garbage. And she'd sold his designs to investors, careful to avoid revealing how non-human their little start-up was while dazzling them with D's brilliance by proxy.

But the dojo most certainly required funding that the family would not have had. So Karai had dealt with this before. And, finding budgets tedious if necessary, she'd left the AFE's finances in her sister's hands. Had she been so ignorant of their where their money came from? She could feel the color rising in her cheeks.

"Karai's right." She sent the loan application through the shredding machine. "Not about _getting_ the money, but no reputable institution will give loans to mutants and you _don't_ want to go through a disreputable source."

She tapped her nails along the surface of the desk as she thought. "Why don't we create a loan-crowdsourcing app through the AFE to allow mutants and socially conscious humans to support mutant enterprise? It shouldn't be too hard to make. I could whip it up in a couple of days. Safe money transfer, public record of investors, reasonable interest rates. We could launch it with the pizzeria to demonstrate how effective it is, so others are willing to try it out. Denim, do you mind if we celebrate the success of it with an AFE rally at your opening?"

Karai scoffed. "Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you?"

April shrugged. "I call it 'thinking positive.' It wouldn't hurt you to try it sometime."

"It's brilliant! Perfect! Yes! Yes! A thousand yes's!" Denim hadn't smiled this wide since earlier that morning when Mikey woke her up by talking to her tummy. And she hadn't had so much confidence in something actually working out for them- well sadly, in a long time.

Most great things, for them, came with an uphill battle. But the outcomes, those were always worth it. "I really love that this will continue to help other start-ups." She went on. "In fact, you guys are welcome to use the pizzeria to hold fundraisers, celebrations, however we can help the community."

Pursing her lips Denim tapped her chin. "Now, I've just got to figure out how to get them to reverse this damn ban." She huffed a sigh, then her brow furrowed as she looked to April. "Is Donnie going to mass produce his formula? If we can prove to the court that his formula stabilizes mutant-hybrid pregnancies, therefore reducing the mother mortality rate to be comparable to a human pregnancy, well they might repeal the ban. What do you girls think?"

April leaned back in her desk chair and sighed. "As best has he can. He's rigged up a production line of it for mom, but even in the warehouse, he can only produce so many batches at a time. I've tried taking the formula to companies with more expansive facilities, but even offering it for free they're balking at footing the bill for clinical trials to get FDA approval. I don't know. Maybe if the issue weren't so political charged and the recipients generally uninsured and below the poverty line they'd be more receptive.

"We're trying to get FDA approval ourselves so it'll be 100% pure profit for anyone willing to produce it, but even fast-tracked as an emergency medicine it's taking a while. Mom's patients have agreed to be the trial subjects and D's a zombie from making a ton of monitors for them like the one you're wearing. But bureaocracy takes time even with lives hanging in the balance. I coded up some software to organize, interpret and summarize the data as it comes in so we can basically live stream it to the FDA, but I don't know if we'll even get probationary approval before the twins arrive." April ran her hands through her hair as tough the motion would somehow vent her pent-up frustration.

"In other words," Karai summed up, "it ain't happening." She echoed April's sigh and put her own hands through her short hair. "That doesn't mean we can't get what we need for you though. There are always channels." Even if the rest of her family didn't like the channels available, they were there. Always there.

The crowd outside rose in volume again, and Karai rolled her eyes. "What now?"

Denim scooted to the edge of her chair, rocking her weight a bit to the right as if that were going to make getting up easier. It merely made it look as awkward as it was. April steadied her, and the three women looked out the window in time to see the crowd throwing things at Mikey.

Denim's fingernails dug into her palms as she let out a growl reminiscent of Raphael. "I am _sick_ of this shit!"

"Stay put, Denim. We'll be right back." April commanded.

"Like hell!" Denim snarled, turning to head for the door.

Karai, leaving a slight breeze in her wake, was already gone as April put a hand on Denim's shoulder. "Promise you'll stay here."

Tears stung Denim's eyes, but she gave an affirming nod. "Go. But I'll be watching." She tapped her thigh. "And I'm totally packing."

Mikey flinched back as the horde of people with their bitter words and angry signs got their mob on. The food they pelted him with wasn't an issue. He'd eaten stuff way less fresh. The rocks and chunks of concrete though, those were a problem.

He deflected most and his shell took the rest as he twisted away, but there sure were a lot of them. Staying strictly on the defensive would end badly for him. But he couldn't let loose on them either. Even if they were jerks, they were still delicate and squishy.

But he had to get to Denim. How had Blue Jeans gotten through the hate-a-thon?

A particularly large chunk of broken pavement bounced off his shell.

Ok, new plan. He retreated back and ducked into the alley, pulling out his shuko spikes. A few moments later and he was slipping through the second story window into a restroom. The lock had been way too easy. Better point that put to someone.

He opened the door, leaving the bathroom for the main office where Denim stood gazing out a window. Even crazy-tense, she was so pretty.

"Hey." He called out.

"Eeep!" Denim squealed, one hand instinctively reaching for her gun, the other floundering between her belly and her heart. She spun to face the intruder, her entire body shaking only to melt into exhausted relief at sight of Mikey. "Don't do that to me!" Tears rushed her eyes. "I could've shot you!" She crossed the room, eyeing him for injury as she finally reached him; first jabbing him in the plastron as her eyes blurred.

The mix of relief and lingering fear had her trembling. "I was worried about you." Then she started to cry, which quickly turned into a blubber. "And I'm hormonal, and furious at them, and scared, and frustrated, and- and tired, and hungry."

Her brow furrowed as she attempted to sort through a hurricane of emotions she wasn't feeling ten seconds ago, well not all of them, or she wasn't aware of them. "Are you okay?" She mumbled, her face pressed to his sleeve.

Before he could say or do anything, she attempted to stretch on tiptoe to reach for his neck but kind of fumbled with her belly bumping against his plastron. Giving up she settled for resting her head against his chest and sobbing. "What is wrong with me? And are you okay?"

"There's nothing wrong with you." He snuggled her close. "Meanies are mood-suckers for everybody. And the back way seemed like the friendliest entrance. I'm fine. Could probs do with a shower though."

He looked down at the broken eggs and splattered tomato squishing from him into her clothes. "Sorry. I've got laundry tonight."

She let out a sobbing laugh and pressed her forehead to his chest, managing to avoid the smear that had once been somebody's Italian sub.

He looked around. "So, where's April and Karai?"

Karai looked at April, seriously considering taking on her snake form when fetching Mikey. But that wasn't the face of the AFE. It was her human one.

She opened the door, April right behind her, eyes scanning for Mikey. She tried to ignore the jeers.

"Abominations! Freaks! Beastiality!"

She did not succeed. "Get a job!" she shouted.

April watched Karai scan the crowd with a scowl. But Mikey was conspicuously absent.

"Where. Is. He?" Karai's voice had a dangerously controlled edge.

April took a breath and opened her mind, letting her intuition take the driver's seat. She looked back up at the second floor behind them. "I think we missed him."

"How?" Karai asked. Those are the only stairs." She huffed, turning and mumbling, "Can't I put a shuriken in just one of them?"

April laughed. "I'm sure all but whoever gets to play pin cushion would love that. We'd be quite the internet sensation." Letting her mirth drain away, she turned back to the building. "We'd better go..."

Warning flared in her brain and she reflexively jerked aside as a chunk of concrete shattered against the wall beside her.

From their window view, Mikey and Denim saw the crowd closing in around April and Karai. "Mikey, they're getting worse, we have to-"

Before she could finish, a rival chant began and grew increasingly louder from the other end of the street. Denim's gaze shifted toward the line of mutants as they marched into view. Squeezing Mikey's hand, she said, "I'd say I'm happy to see those who're usually our allies. But they aren't ours. Those mutants are just as mad as the humans downstairs. We've got to get Karai and April up here and get the four of us out. That's about to be a riot."

She turned to face him, fishing her phone out. "I'll call the police, but they might not come, or come too late. I'll call Leo, but I don't know how much time we have."

Mikey nodded solemnly. "Yeah, things'll get ugly if Karai and April lose their tempers. They are scary when they're angry. You got the police, I'll handle Leo?"

Denim looked like she wanted to correct him about something but let it go and pulled put her phone as he speed-dialed his brother.

As usual, Leo answered on the first ring. "Mikey, this had better not be another idea-sharing on the business you do not yet have."

"Uh, no." He looked out the window at the two groups of angries advancing on each other. "So, Denim and I swung by the AFE to kick it with April and Karai."

"Mikey. The point. Now." Leo commanded.

"There's gonna be a big riot right outside between a whole bunch of mutants and humans and Karai and April are down there in it." He rushed out in a single breath.

"I'm on my way." Leo clicked off the line.

Denim hung up. "Police are on their way, or so they say. I half think they hope this bunch will kill each other and thin out their troubles. Then again this doesn't help tension across the city. There's protestors at every organization, mutants at AFH, lines drawn at city hall, and a few embassies of mutant-friendly nations." Reluctantly looking away from the window, she pulled her gun. So, this is no sniper rifle which means I've got to get in close."

"Uhhh, nooo we wait for Leo." Mikey corrected her.

Denim looked around, grabbed Karai's dress coat from the coat hanger and tugged it on. She sighed as she struggled to close even the button over her chest. "Well this will have to do."

Mikey let out a worried whine. "And just what _are_ you going?"

She looked him square in the eye. "We just became building security. I'm going to order everyone back so they can get in and you're my back up."

April's temper flared as she spun to face the crowd and identify whoever threw the cement at her.

But their attention was already shifting towards the oncoming wave of new protesters, pulled like a tide. Both sides ready to let loose on each other. In front of their offices.

Her temper slipped a little further and along with it some of the control over her mental shields. A few tiny fissures in her psychic armor was all it took for the swell of hatred and violence around her to seep in and expand, shattering her defenses, swamping her mind and senses. All she could think, feel, was their rage, their need to hurt, to destroy.

The air around her charged with energy, warning of a building storm.

And then a hand closed on her wrist. She turned her head to meet a pair of familiar golden eyes. She should know...but the fury, it burned in her. She couldn't think. She couldn't...

"Don't do it," Karai warned, the irony of the situation not at all lost on her. Just a moment ago, she was the one threatening to do something, now she was trying to steer April away. April didn't really have it in her like she did, anyway-the ability to hurt or kill and be OK with it. Karai might not regret it if she hurt someone. April would. "Now's not the time. There will be one." It was obvious from the forming crowds that eventually there would be one. "But not now, April."

That voice. So familiar. She should concentrate on the words. But...

She clutched her head and cried out. "It's too much. I can't. I can't."

Small stones, debris and other city detritus littering the ground around her floated up and began swirling, accelerating into a vortex of tiny nicks and scratches.

As Denim turned for the door, something large resting atop an open shipping box caught her eye and a second idea formed. Holstering her weapon, she opted for a more civilized approach at crowd control.

Mikey trailed her, making a barrage of pleas to everyone from Leo to the Gods themselves for her to change her mind.

She waddled down the steps with him hovering behind her as if she might fall, in fact she almost did. Megaphones weren't as light as she expected.

With a plea to the Gods that be, she approached the lobby door hoping the right words would come to her. But she never got that far. A chunk of concrete came crashing through, glass flying.

Mikey snatched her up so fast, they were halfway back to the office with him yelling, "Nope! Nope! Nope!" Before Denim fully grasped what was happening.

"Put me down!" She demanded, squirming in his arms. "Mikey, you're squeezing me! Put me down! I'm fine! Are you fine? I'm fine!"

He put her down and she looked him over for the second time that day. "I'm good, shell shields are totes awesome." He frowned, touching a spot near her hairline. He picked out a piece of glass, dropping it in the trash as she waddled over to the window and pushed it open.

As she looked over the screaming people getting pelted by a hailstorm of pebbles, concrete, and now glass, Denim quickly spotted the source of the problem. "Uh oh."

Mikey came alongside her. "Ewww. That's no good."

Denim lifted the megaphone, turning the knobs and flipping the power switch. "Listen up, people!"

Feedback filled the room and the outside street, echoing over the chaos. Mikey cringed. It was enough madness that with the added noise, anyone running dropped to the ground and covered their heads.

The mutants marching forward stalled a good distance away as they spied trouble ahead. Denim could've laughed her ass off, wasn't trouble exactly what they were after?

Right about then a car began to levitate. Oh, right, better hurry.

"One of you gems down there is a bonafide psychic, and you're pissing them off. Only way to get them to stop is to _leave_! Go! Run for your lives before they spot you! That car is flying somewhere, get clear before it lands on you!"

Screaming people ran every which way, while Karai appeared to be trying to get through to a struggling April. The crowd dissipated, the mutants turned and went the other way, sirens were approaching... all there was left to do was stop April's psychic tantrum.

The car rose higher, higher, higher... then closer...

"Uh, Blue Jeans-" Mikey hooked an arm around her enormous waist and before she knew it, he was running for the door.

TSOTC

April released a gasp of relief as the rage ebbed, giving her a moment to pull up at least a flimsy barrier before the fear and panic threatened to swamp her. But she managed to hold it at bay enough to regain some of her senses.

Screaming, fleeing people. Humans and mutants alike, terrified of her. How nice that she could bring people together.

There were sirens approaching. Close now.

She reached out with her mind, trying to reel in the maelstrom of her power, just in time to sense the car, flying towards their building. Mikey and Denim. No!

Rocks and debris rained down around her as she focused everything on grasping the car. But she'd used too much, too fast. She was spent. The car slipped through the grasp of her mind and will, slick as psychic ice against her feeble reserves of energy.

Pitching forward, her world disappearing into darkness, the last sounds she heard were shattering glass and screeching metal.

Karai was a ninja. Not just a fledgling ninja, nor a mid-grade ninja, but a bonafide, kick-anyone's-ass ninja. Her training had been thorough, brutal, and exacting. The Shredder expected only the best from his men, and he expected even better from his daughter. She was spared no quarter for her position in the Foot Clan, the fact she was still alive proved it.

She transformed fully into snake form, which was physically stronger than her none-to-weak human one, grabbing April in her arms and pulling her toward her chest. At the same time, as the sound of crashing...everything...reverberated around her, she fled to the middle of the street, darting like had 10,000 legs instead of none. She was half way across when she realized that was not the right way to go, she needed to get to the side, avoid any falling debris.

Just as the thought left her mind, a chunk of wall, bricks mortored together, dropped from the sky directly to her left. Instinct, rather than thought, caused her to flee to the right, down the road. A scream pierced her consciousness, looking behind her, she saw a human, one of the ones with a marching sign, caught beneath a large metal rod.

Leo was less-than-pleased with the influx of ever present hostility toward mutant kind. Not that the timing was ever good for discrimination, but with his family larger than ever it kept his stress level on death-con 100. The only thing more irritating than hate, was a slow response time from his team. Half of which was still unaccounted for, or not coming with one excuse or another.

Aries not answering.

Medusa not answering.

Donnie had been on his way to Raph's, something not right with Zoe. His stomach clenched, an ever-present knot that tightened at thought of her... bizarreness. She'd actually answered the phone with a hiss, furious that he'd disturbed her nap. Then- _then_ told him she was going back to sleep and not to call back!

He glanced at Raph on his right, Donnie his left. Thankfully both of them saw the urgency of the situation and came. Sappho and Arcos were right behind them. Each one met his gaze before looking ahead as they ran the last block before the AFE offices. The streets were closed, fire trucks, ambulances and cops cramming the way. The five of them slid to a stop as the building cane into view. Debris tumbled from the windows of the building, the back end of a car dangling. Shattered glass from windows and street lights, glistened beneath rays of late afternoon sun as far as he could see. His gaze refocused on car. His breath fled him, terror deflating his lungs. That was the AFE floor. Karai! April! Mikey and Denim!

"Leo, are you seeing dis?" Raph's voice was one of astonishment.

"What happened here?" Arcos gasped.

"April."

He felt the air shift beside him, Donnie already running toward the building.

"Wait!" Leo yelled. They didn't even know where to look, or who should go where. Had they gotten out? He swallowed hard. Or were they trapped inside?

"Help! Somebody please!" A man flailed, pinned beneath a street lamp.

Right as Leo pointed toward Arcos, Karai darted out from a side street, April in her coils. The tension in his chest dissipated at sight of her. His eyes roved her body for injury, sighting abrasions, but nothing serious. He ran for her. "Karai!"

Arcos galloped in a heavy bear stride, getting ahead, Sappho beside him. "We've got the human."

"Leo, what about Donnie?" Raph grabbed his arm, yanking him back.

The knot was cinched as quickly as it had unfurled. "Go. Tell him Karai has April."

Raph was off with a curt nod.

Leo closed the space between him and Karai, just resisting the urge to wrap her in his arms. She'd only chide him for it. But he'd be sure to cuddle her extra later, when no one was around to see. "Are you okay? What happened?" He looked at an unconscious April, knelt beside Karai to check his sister for a pulse.

"I'm okay. April happened. Too much bad mojo." Karai released April to Leo as he gathered her up. "She's going to have to get this shot under control if she wants to stay in the political part of this fight."

"She's alive, but out cold. We should get her to Mom." Leo adjusted her, freeing up one hand to reach for his phone. "We forgot to grab coms. I've got to let Raph and Donnie know we found you." He glanced beyond Karai, expecting to see two more family members that were not Sappho and Arcos.

"That human was an ass. I should've left him under the lamp post." Arcos scoffed. "As it goes, he'll live another day to protest the very life that saved him."

Sappho put a hand on his arm. "He'll never forget that. It will give him something to think about."

An odd sick feeling settled in Leo's gut as he stared at the empty space behind his family. "Where's Mikey and Denim?"

Karai's serpent head tipped toward the car, creaking and groaning amid a shower of brick, mortar and glass. "Inside."


	75. Chapter 74

Denim groaned as she opened her eyes. It was so dark. How long had she been out? Wasn't it daytime? Where was she? What happened? Her mind caught up with the present, right up to the moment Mikey had thrown himself over her.

Her entire body was covered in dust, crumbled plaster and- a huge turtle. Her hands were cradled around her belly, she'd curled over her enormous mound, in a last-ditch effort to protect their babies. Everything on her hurt, and as she tried to shift she found she couldn't, pinned for her lover shielding her. "M-m-mi-mik-" She began to cough, her voice raspy. "Mikey," she cleared her throat. "Can you let me up?"

No answer.

Denim's fear for her unmoving babies compounded to include their father, as she squeaked out a meek second attempt. "Mikey, Sweetie?" She tried to shift to see him, unable to twist for the strain on her core. She now realized he wasn't the only thing keeping her down.

They were covered by a collapsed interior wall.

Donnie scrabbled over the debris that had once been the AFE office's facade littering the street with abandoned signs and other discarded bits of trash from the fleeing protesters, as he made a mad dash towards the heart of the wreckage. His sweet chinchilla might be in there.

The analytical portion of his brain had already scanned the scene and determined that April was probably the cause of the mess and unlikely to throw a car at herself. The probability of her being trapped inside was extremely low, but without being a solid zero, the hysterical part of his mind wouldn't relinquish control and drove him forward.

He squeezed between the car and broken building front, raining down brick chunks and glass shards while earning himself a few new cuts. In the dim light, he scanned the ruins of the lobby for some sign of life. What he found, though not what he'd been seeking, caught his breath. A green foot sticking out from beneath a fallen wall.

"Donnie, ya can chill already. Karai's got April and she's fine...sorta."

Raph's voice called through the broken building front, easing one fear as another bloomed in its place.

"I found Mikey. Part of the building has him pinned down, so I can't tell how hurt he is."

The damaged wall shuddered as Raph tried to get through.

"Wait." It was amazing that he hadn't brought it down when he'd carelessly forced his way in. "That wall won't hold. You could bring the rest of it down on us. Try to find a way in through the back."

"Hang in there. I'm comin'," Raph answered, voice fading away.

Donnie set to carefully clearing away the rubble burying his brother.

The foot twitched, followed by a groan. "Ugh. Anyone catch the number of the bus that hit me?"

Donnie's shoulders sagged in relief. "Not a bus," he called out as he worked, "it looks like a Buick Roadmaster Wagon. 1995 or 96 maybe."

"Really, D? That's what's important right now?" Mikey's mutterings were loud enough to be audible through the heap of building materials.

"Accuracy matters." Don replied matter-of-factly.

"Just hurry, D. Blue Jeans is stuck in here too."

Donnie's jaw tightened and he started working faster. "Don't worry. I'll get you both out. Just hang on."

Denim's heart eased a bit at sound of Mikey's voice, coarse or not. He was alive and conscious... and heavy. "You're awake!" Her own voice sounded odd, raspy, her throat dry like she might cough more. Though she tried not to.

"Hey, Blue Jeans." Mikey rasped. "Think I might've checked out for a minute there. Good news is that I didn't get hit by a bus. Just a bucking roadster wagon."

"A Buick Roadmaster Wagon." Donnie corrected from somewhere beyond the rubble.

"Not a good time, D." Mikey called out hoarsely.

He shook his head, before immediately stilling when he realized that he was raining dry wall dust down on her. He couldn't see anything in the pitch black, but felt it wafting off of him and clouding the air. "How're you and the nuggets doing?"

Wiggling, or trying to, so she could turn her head to face him, wasn't working. Not that she could see anyway. Still, relief flooded her chest, grateful he was with her. _Thank the Gods for soul chocolate._

"I'm a little squished." She didn't want to answer him about the babies, yet. Hesitating, knowing they were trying to move beyond their old habits, she confessed in a tiny voice. "They aren't moving."

Unable to really move her body, she settled for reaching out a fumbling hand trying to find his. She spared the only limb she could, the hand formerly cradled around their babies. "But I'm sure, they're okay. Right?" She squeezed his fingers. "How about you? You had me scared there for a minute. Are you hurt?"

Internally she hoped for some of Mikey's nonsensical jabber, at least until they got out of this mess. And beneath the distraction she wanted, she willed her son and daughter to move. To be okay. _Please be okay._

"Nah, I had worse during Raph's first stint at being leader." Mikey answered, frowning in concern. Not moving. That didn't sound good. Who held still if they didn't have too? He hoisted himself up, causing everything around them to shift and shudder in protest.

"Stop moving. You'll collapse the whole thing on whatever cavity has formed around you." Donnie yelled.

Mikey ignored him, maneuvering to place the side of his head on Denim's belly. He heard a lot of gurgling and a pulse, but it was probably Denim's. The ones he was listening for were s'pposed to be all fluttery and fast.

He turned and smooshed his face into the dusty fabric of her shirt. "Yo, little dudes, you ok in there?" His voice muffled against her body.

A second later he felt two tiny jabs into his nostrils causing him to jerk his head back and further unbalance their enclosure.

"Mikey!"

"Sorry, D." He called out, wrinkling his beak, then more quietly added, speaking to Denim, "I think they heard me."

"They heard you all right. Maybe they were startled by it all." Elated with relief, Denim stifled a giggle, a sensation they would briefly still for, then go crazy over. They liked their mothers laugh, but they always, _always_ got over-excited when Mikey talked to them.

"Oomph," she deflated at a particularly nasty kick to her ribs. "Okay, okay. We're glad you're okay. Let's not get super-pumped just because Daddy's said hey. He does that all the time, and we're still in a tight spot. Although, if this squished-ness is anything like what you two feel like on the daily, then I can understand your-"

Her eyes went wide in the dark, all of her joy evaporating as the twins stilled once more, this time under the increasing sensation of what felt like her sides being squeezed. "Oh no."

"Oh no? Why oh no? What's oh no?" Mikey asked, starting to panic.

Before she could respond, the wall above lifted up, flooding them with light. Mikey squinted, seeing the outlines of Raph and Donnie jointly raising the chunk of wall.

"There ya are." Raph smiled broadly as he spoke. "Don't look too worse for wear."

Denim had never been so glad to see three turtle-faces, and she'd be plenty glad one too many times before. Fresh air reached both her and Mikey, sunlight and at sight of Donnie- hope. "I just had a contraction." She propped herself up with one hand, supporting her belly with her other. Dust billowed in the space around them, in a steady shower, coating their skin. Denim shifted about, testing her arms and legs, then the tightening came again, stronger than before, almost like she was having a muscle cramp.

Stopping, she closed her eyes and tried to think about breathing, about the cinch releasing and everything being okay again. But her heart began to pound as fear set in. "It's not real. They're not real. Everything is fine. It is." Tears pricked her dust-covered lashes as she looked at the brothers. "I'm fine. This isn't happening, and we're fine. I want to go home now, please."

Donnie's mind blanked for a moment as Mikey scooped Denim up, looking around wildly as though the ruined remains of the room might hold some answers. Then the genius rebooted and immediately began running through scenarios of outcomes should Denim be going into labor. Between the shock and having twins it was quite possible. It was also possible that these were false contractions, but the only way to know for certain was to wait and observe, something they didn't have time for if the babies were coming.

 _Need a clean room and tools for delivery_.

April might be able to tell with her psychic intuition.

 _It was too early for the twins to be born. They'd need a neonatal intensive care unit. No hospital would admit them to their NICU._

"Raph, where exactly is April? She might be able to help." He asked as he assisted his brother in lowering the chunk of wall they'd lifted off Mikey and Denim.

"Outside. But she ain't gonna be doing much'a anythin' fer awhile."

Donnie glanced at the front of the building with the front end if a car smashed through it. Right. No April for the next couple hours at minimum.

 _He could build the NICU equipment he needed but there wasn't enough time._

Mom. Mom could help. With her health-related energy manipulation talents, he still couldn't bring himself to call it healing magic, she might be able to tell if Denim was really in labor and if she was, could care for her and stabilize her while preparations were made.

 _Prep and sterilize delivery room and materials while someone went out to 'borrow' the necessary equipment from a hospital._

He turned to Raph. "Lead us out the way you came in. We need to get to the warehouse and hope mom is there."

"Wait!" Denim yelled, causing Mikey to freeze. She frowned at him. "You should put me down. You were unconscious for at least a few minutes. You could have a concussion." She began to wiggle in his arms, looking at Donnie next. "And what about April and Karai? Are they okay?"

"You were unconscious? When were you planning on mentioning that?"

Donnie snapped at Mikey at the same time Raph answered Denim.

"April's ok, though she ain't gonna be doin' much for a while. Karai's got 'er. The show she put on sure made quick work of the protesters. Bet Fearless'll have a bug up his shell about that."

Denim relaxed briefly before grimacing again. Likely another contraction. Mikey tilted his head towards her emphatically. "Uh. Babies are more important."

Donnie sighed as he recalculated. "Raph take Denim. I'll examine Mikey for signs of concussion on the way to the warehouse. Hopefully mom is there. If not, Mikey needs to stay awake for the next twenty-four hours."

Mikey glanced down worriedly at Denim. "Don't think that'll be a problem."

TSOTC

Denim was dozing in between contractions as Raph carried her through the warehouse door. Fatigue was taking its toll now that the adrenaline had worn off.

Donnie's assurance to Mikey, "I don't think you have a concussion." Would've been the best words she'd heard since all this started until he went and followed them up with. "But I'm not sure that's false labor."

Mikey was halfway between pouting, because Raph refused to let him carry her after a head injury, and distressed if his telltale whine of uncertainty was any indication. She'd wanted to assure him everything was fine. But was it?

Donnie carried April in right behind Raph, who was getting irritated at his Mikey shadow. Behind them Arcos and Sappho entered quietly. Then came Leo and Karai...

"That was a disaster. How did things get so out of control? What happened? Do you realize the police will be looking to talk to both of you now, wondering what happened ba-"

"Enough, Leo." Karai huffed. "I don't control April. Seems like April's still working on controlling April. It's done and it will be fixed."

"I don't see how." Leo snapped, closing the door behind him.

"I'll take care of it." Karai walked right by him, towards the couches were April was being laid out on one, Mikey seated and taking Denim in the other. She frowned. Leo wasn't worrying about the right things, and that irked her.

"And what do you plan to do? Hm?" He put a hand on her shoulder and she spun on him.

"It's our organization and it could've been anyone in the crowd that threw that car. In fact it looks like we were the victims." She pointed toward her ailing family members. "There are more important things happening right now. How do you think April's going to feel when she realizes what's happened? And what about Denim?"

"Mommy!" Alli's shriek silences the warehouse, her little feet thumping across the concrete. "What's wrong wit' you? Is the babies okay?"

Phoenix, Splinter, Anton and Yuuta were right behind her.

"What is going on?" Phoenix demanded. "What happened?"

As Phoenix moved in on her patients, Mikey and Donnie began taking over each other trying to explain, while Denim closed her eyes and made a rather sour face as she rubbed a spot on her belly.

Anton was worried about his aunts, but he was even more worried about his mom. He wove his way through the web of adults until he found the one he was looking for. "Uh, Dad?"

Raph looked down at him. "Hey. You doin' alright? How's yer Mom?"

How's your Mom might be the million-dollar question. At the moment, after what Anton saw her doing- well Dad wasn't gonna like it. He shook his head, not wanting to say.

"Worse?" Raph's voice came out low.

Anton nodded.

His dad swallowed hard. "Worse how? Worse like rubbing her cheeks on everything from you to the toilet seat or scratching her claws on the doorframe kinda worse?"

Anton's Eye ridges lifted as he looked up. Raph followed his son's gaze to find Zoe stretched out belly down on a cross beam beneath a skylight. He squinted. The edge of her foot hung lazily off one side, one arm under her cheek the other stretched over head. Was she- He craned to see around the suns rays. She was sleeping!

"Uh, Dad-" Anton tugged on Raph's leg. Raph looked down as his son pointed toward the beams above the kitchen area. What was that dangling? Was that- His eyes widened. A shirt! She was sleeping up there _naked_? Oh shell.

Phoenix tried hard to ignore Anton and Raph, the situation with Zoe was deteriorating no matter what Phoenix did to try to slow it or stop it. The problem was, she didn't know what she was trying to heal, so she was guessing at what to concentrate on. She could trust her power to do its work, but it didn't hurt to be able to direct it a little.

Denim and Mikey, however, she could easily handle. Softening her vision to see what damage had been done, she could see a dark splotch about Mikey's head that indicated a good hard knock, along with several that indicated bruises about his body. She laid her hand on his arm, and almost immediately some of the less black splotches began to disappear.

Glancing at Denim, her other vision seemed to sway at her stomach, as if the energy there was roiling. "Denim," she said calmly, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. "Are you feeling anything with the babies?" Please, she begged to whatever might be listening, let it just be the twin upset, and not what I think it is.

Denim, stretched out on the couch with her head on Mikey's leg, couldn't make her body long enough to escape the tension around her middle. She rubbed at her side as it squeezed tight again. Stay calm. I have to stay calm. "They weren't moving at first, then Mikey talked to them and they got all riled up, as usual." She glanced over at Phoenix, a frown on the set of her mouth. "Then they stopped moving and the contractions started. They've not moved since."

"You sure, Blue Jeans?" Mikey asked, pointing at Denim's belly where a small bulge stuck out between her hands. "I think that might be a foot...or a fist."

"She might have trouble feeling their movement through the contractions."

Mikey jumped with a high-pitched squeal as Donnie spoke beside him. Clutching his chest, he turned to his brother. "A little warning, D, please. Or I'm gonna have to bell you like Leo."

"Donnie chuckled. "He still insists that wasn't funny." Then he shook his head, his smile slipping. "Karai's looking after April until she wakes up." He redirected his attention to Phoenix. "Mom, can you tell if the contractions are real labor? The only way I know is a wait-and-see approach, but if the babies are coming, I need to make preparations for the delivery."

Mikey's eyes widened. "The babies are coming? Isn't it too soon? Like taking a pizza out of the oven way early? I mean I've only made that mistake a couple dozen times and sometimes a sashimi-style pie can really hit the spot, but..."

"Mikey!" Donnie snapped, causing his brother's jaw to clamp shut. Then he looked back to Phoenix. "Can you tell?"

 _Count on a man to have to wait and see,_ Phoenix smiled despite the chaos around her and nodded. "I can," she said, "but I think Denim would prefer to be in a separate room." She winked at her.

Denim frowned. She'd almost forgotten about having to throw privacy out the window when it came to having babies. Almost. But not quite. She pushed herself upright with some help from Mikey.

"But I can totes come, right?" Mikey chirped, helping Denim to her feet.

"Sure, if you want to dive head first into the uncensored part of being a pregnant woman." Denim replied, flashing Phoenix a tight smile, one hand supporting her straining belly.

"Hey," Phoenix admonished, taking one of Denim's hands and helping to pull her up, "I birthed two babies the new-fangled human way before Squeaky Toy over there. Been there," She rolled here eyes. "Done that. Got two babies to prove it."

Donnie glanced at his mother, then down at Denim. He licked his lips, and then sighed.

"What's the matter?" Phoenix asked him.

"I'll let you take care of it," he said, sounding rather dejected.

A pelvic exam. Of course. While knowing how dilated and effaced Denim was wouldn't definitively answer the question it would provide a good base for making a call about it. Idiot. Why hadn't he thought if that? It could've potentially saved some worry...

As Donnie's mind followed up with the necessities surrounding that task it recoiled. Nope. Nope, nope, nope. Outside of a life-threatening emergency, he was NOT giving his sister a pelvic exam. Not when there was ANY alternative.

"Let me know your conclusions." He added tightly. "I'll go check on Apr..."

"Donnie. A little help here." Raph called out.

"...er, Zoe." He corrected as he shuffled off.

Zoe had never felt more like a languid puddle of muscle. And this spot, the way the sun shone through, but the glass was there to keep the biting insects away. It was as close as she could get to an afternoon nap in a tree. Central Park had crossed her mind, they had the biggest trees with the widest, highest branches, but then she'd found this spot and it was heavenly.

But her clothes had begun to itch, the bindings around her breasts, the way her shirt lifted up inhibiting her arm movement, and the tight band around her waist… annoying. When she'd set out to her perfect napping spot, she soon found her socks prohibited her from stretching her toes to grip the beams. That was enough. It all had to go. Ahhh, the way her skin breathed as she stretched out over the cool beam, her back warmed by the sun, the perfect mix of hot and cold. It was quiet. Perfect.

She opened one eye, glancing at the chaotic going's on below. People rushing about, some new disaster. It was all noise. If they didn't quiet down and clear out she'd have to find a new spot. She let her eye fall shut again, searching for the butterfly dream again. The colorful winged creatures dancing over a field at Northampton. Her chasing them, catching them- Her nose wrinkled as she stopped herself from wanting to taste one. They were too pretty to eat. That wasn't right. That was one of those thoughts that shouldn't be there she was sure of it.

"Pssst, Z."

Her ear muscles flexed. An odd new ability. While her ears didn't pivot toward sound or flatten when she was spooked or annoyed, they kind of lifted or dropped, up and down. They hadn't changed shape though, in fact nothing beyond her weird-but-convenient claws had physically changed. She wasn't sure why everyone was looking at her strange. She looked the same as ever in the mirror.

"Pssst, hey, Z."

She turned her head, letting her hair tumble over her face. Maybe he'd take a hint and go. But he sounded closer already. She frowned at the prickly sensation creeping over her skin. Usually, she liked Raph's voice, wanted him near. She inhaled. In fact, she really should nuzzle him some, he smelled… wrong.

"Hey, Z. So, uh, if yer hot we could get a fan fer our room. And uh, ya know we have a bed, if yer tired."

He was beside her now, his fingers hovering over her head. She could feel his pulse through his fingertips, his energy flowing from their ends toward her. She opened herself to his higher self, a smile forming at the edges of her mouth. It'd be so nice if he just stroked the top of her head, running his fingers along her neck, down her spine.

A low purr filled the ceiling, the beam she lay on vibrating a bit. She inhaled again and Raph's smell, near offended her. A mix of Antonello, which was fine, but other odors, the outside kind. Grease. Fried food. Gasoline. She sniffed. The leather was nice, but it made her fingers itch to dig into something and pull. Hmmm that pull would be so satisfying. She opened one eye then the next, then flipped her hair so she could see him.

He had such pretty eyes.

Inhaling deep she stretched out one leg then the next, almost laughing as she reached overhead and Raph put a hand out like she might fall. As if.

His face was an odd shade of green and he was holding out a robe. "Cover yerself up. Our whole family is runnin' around here. There's kids n' shit, Z. Ya can't be loungin' around naked." His eyes narrowed toward the kitchen below, where Donnie stood by the counter she'd used as a launchpad to reach her beloved napping spot in the first place.

The nerdy brother busied himself with a coffee mug, but his head was tipped slightly to the side, indicating his attention elsewhere. She scanned the living area again, locating Mikey down the hall, pacing outside their mother's bedroom. Leo and Karai were having some intense conversation by the door as if they'd not gotten very far since coming in. Or maybe they were going back out. Hmmm, it might be nice to go out for a while. Sunshine. Fresh air. No pesky mate hovering over her with some article of clothing she had no interest in wearing.

"Zoe, are ya listenin'? Put this on before someone sees ya naked."

He inched closer. Her head snapped toward him, eyes widening, zeroing in on the tiny loops of fabric, thousands of them, waiting to scratch her skin. Her eyes closed, as she lifted a hand ran it down her cheek, her smooth, soft skin. How could he not want to feel it on him? How could he want her to smother it?

"Z?"

Her weight shifted to her rear, the muscles in her back gathering. She opened her mouth to tell him no, but a hiss spilled out. Her mind swam with sounds where words should be. Her heart began to pound, her palms sweat. This was wrong. She looked to Raph's face, the frown, the way his eyes were round like Mikey's, rather than emanating swagger. Even if it was all bullshit.

"Zoe, please."

His voice came out low, his energy soft, gentle, and his concern hit her in the chest like a bee sting. Her skin jumped, her body coiling tight in a crouch. Extending her neck, she sniffed above the robe, searching for the comfort of his scent. But it was wrong. She didn't want the cloth, but she did want him. Wanted him to hold her, wanted to rub her face against his cheeks and throat, his arms and shell. Something stirred inside her, a yearning as confusing as the way he smelled and his absurd request. "Why do you want me to cover up? I'm not… attractive to you?"

Her head tipped to the side as she sat more upright, before coming to stand. He swallowed hard, his eyes tracking her from toe, to calf, to pelvis, to belly, to breast, to neck and finally face. "Y-y-yes, but not for everyone else in the family ta see. If ya want ta be alone, we go in our room, Z. Not out here where everyone can see. We talked about this, remember?"

There was something wrong with his voice. She sniffed again as the strange sound mixed with the nasty smell. All at once it registered. Fear. Her brow furrowed. "Are you afraid of me?"

Wrinkles broke across Raph's brow, branching between his eyes and around the set of his mouth. "I ain't afraid of ya, Z. I'm a little afraid fer ya. Come here, I wanna hold ya. Okay? I need ta have ya close an feel yer okay."

Her heart softened like he'd touched her already, and she wanted what he was saying, though he had nothing to fear from her. He was her mate. She adored him. Frowning she accepted the uncomfortable garment as he slipped one sleeve over each arm and wrapped it across her front. Rough fingers made quick work of the sash then brushed her cheek as he guided her down to him. His legs were shaking with the effort of staying balanced in a crouch on the beam. She'd have to get down so he was more comfortable. His needs, his safety was important. He wasn't like her. She understood, but she loved him anyway.

Taking a single silent leap down, from beam to counter, right where Donatello was standing, she hopped to the floor, stretched on her toes and walked toward the bedroom. In her periphery she saw Raph coming down, more swinging and flipping but with just as much grace as her single jump. She found Donnie's slightly agape expression amusing but was a little offended that he hadn't startled when she landed beside him. He knew she was there, which meant he was paying attention to her. She liked attention, but his usually involved poking, prodding and medicine. None of which were nearly as appealing as Raphael. Not now. She let out an inviting purr. No, she had other plans. Raph would follow, she'd scent him and they'd mate and her afternoon would be just perfect.

Raph landed next to his brother with a defeated thump. "Well that's worse than usual."

"Yes, I believe you. Something is definitely going on with her." Donnie responded, trying to look anywhere but the direction Zoe had sauntered off in. "Once I've got April comfortably settled in at home, I'll come back with my kit. Maybe a physical exam and analyzing some samples will shed a little light on what's wrong. But if it's mental and not physical..." He trailed off, at a loss for what he could do in such a scenario.

TSOTC

It took Phoenix little time at all to examine Denim...it was amazing to her how quick it was. She remembered her own appointments taking hours, literally, but then realized that it was all waiting except for the ten minutes, tops, that she was with the OB. Denim was only a tiny bit dialiated, less than a centimeter Phoenix would guess, perfectly normal for this time in her pregnancy. However, the contractions still took Denim's breath away, which concerned her.

Mikey was waiting outside the door when she opened it, and she almost rammed into him.

"Michelangelo!" she admonished.

"Sorry," he ducked his head, but was around his mother in a heartbeat, headed straight toward Denim. "You OK, babes?"

Denim's bottom lip formed a pout as she slumped against a pile of pillows. "Yes and no. I'm not in labor. But your Mom wants me to stay in bed." She crossed her arms, resting them atop her belly. "I can't stay in bed. I'm supposed to be at our restaurant tomorrow when the guys come to install the ovens and the dishwasher and that's after I drop Alli off at school. Then I have a lunch shift at the pizza parlor, and Alli to pick up." She held up a hand counting off tasks on her fingers. "I'm supposed to go to the bank, the post office, the grocery, _plus_ bedrest is _boring_."

"Hey, no worries, Blue Jeans. I've got you covered. I can do all that, 'cept maybe your lunch shift cuz I'm s'pposed to be cooking then, but it wouldn't hurt to take some sick time." Mikey suggested placatingly. "Plus I'll hook you up with my entire comic collection and set the gamestation up in the bedroom. Super fun, right?" He added, waggling his eye ridges. Then he thought about it a moment before turning to Phoenix. "Can I go on bed rest too?"

"Go get yourself knocked up, and then yes you can." She finished rubbing sanitizer on her hands. "Otherwise, go bring home the bacon." She turned back to Denim, her face firm. "You, however, stay in bed. You can get up to go to the bathroom. Otherwise, your butt is on the mattress."

"I did tell Anton I'd help him with his book report. I could spend some time doing that." Denims voice lowered. "You know since Zoe's not feeling well and Raph's either working or-" She hesitated, choosing her words with caution. "Anyway, I said I'd help him. Where is-" Denims face crumpled as another contraction came. They were farther apart though, and she could feel the babies moving again so they were bound to stop soon. "Where is Anton," she ground out. "I need to find out what we're reading."

"On it." Mikey replied with a wink. Then he kissed her temple and scurried from the room, calling out. "Anton! Where'd you go? We've got a readmergency."

From outside the room, they could hear Anton reply. "But you know how to read Uncle Mikey...right?"

TSOTC

Horace shifted his crouched stance, careful not to trip over the extension cord powering his hair dryer. If he blew out the dryer softening up the paint, it would put a major kink in his dred-care until he could justify the extravagance of purchasing another.

Looking to his right he could see the haphazard line of advertising flyers taped at an upward angle across his doors, not fooling anyone. He was only on the 's.'

With a sigh, he dipped his rag into the coffee mug of nail polish remover, making a mental note to ration his nail color changes in the near future, and resumed scrubbing. He had a razor blade but that was a last resort. If he scratched the glass he could not afford to repair or replace it.

A shadow fell over his work as someone approached him from behind.

"Despite how it looks we're still open. Just let me know when you're ready to check out." He turned as he spoke, eyes widening as he saw Medusa. "Hey. I didn't know you were stopping by." He smiled as he spoke.

"I thought I'd ssssurpissse you." She answered looking at the doors instead of him. "What happened?"

His smile dropped. "Just some graffiti. Not gonna let it get me down though."

Anonymous messages were for cowards. He'd be fine.

"Could you ussse sssome help?" She asked, not appearing any less concerned.

He sagged in relief. "That would be awesome. Thanks."

"No problem." She responded, picking up the hair dryer and peeling off a flyer to reveal the next letter.

She still looked worried, but he was pleased to have her there. With her company, maybe this chore wouldn't have to completely suck.

"I'm sorry, Horace," Medusa said slowly, spreading out the words. She kept her black eyes on the flyer in front of her.

"For what?" Horace asked.

The tip of her long tail began to whip in agitation. "For all of this," she motioned to the storefront. "If it weren't for me, this wouldn't be happening to you. And then with all of the craziness that's been happening at home..." Her voice quavered and she let it drift off, shaking her head.

Horace rocked back on his heels, pausing thoughtfully. "You know, when I first stopped trying to fit in, started dressing how I wanted, being open about my beliefs and interests, it made hanging out with my friends...interesting. I found myself apologizing over and over for how people treated us because of me. But, eventually, I figured out that the only people responsible for the behavior of jerks are the jerks themselves. So, no need to apologize. Besides, you're worth whatever they can throw at me." He looked over at her and grinned. "And if I wasn't down for a little craziness, I picked the wrong business. Seriously though, when they see that they can't get a rise out of me, they'll move on." _I hope_. "Bullies are like that. I'm not in any real danger." _Probably._ "No worries."

Quiet a moment, Medusa didn't look at him. "These aren't bullies, Horace," she said, her voice serious and barely over a serpentine hiss. "These aren't like any kinds of people you have met before." She turned to look at him then, her dark eyes sad. "They will not hesitate to hurt anyone who stands in their way. They will maim, kill, and not think twice about it." She waved to the paper's covering each letter of the graffiti. "This was done by someone who is forward thinking. Someone who knows how to do this kind of thing and isn't bothered by hurting other people." She paused again. "Really hurting other people." She sighed. "If it were just bullies, they'd have just painted nasty things on the walls." Her shoulders sank, if that were possible. "I don't want you to get hurt, Horace."

He swallowed hard as she confirmed the worries he'd been working hard not to think about. He knew what people did in violent mobs though he'd rather he didn't. Horrific thoughts of what they'd done to countless unfortunate innocents in brutal lynchings a century ago bubbled to the surface of his mind before he could clamp a lid on it. Yeah, he was afraid. With good reason. But fear and violence wouldn't rule him or decide how he lived his life.

"I know." He replied, subdued. "But if not me, then someone else and I'm not ok running for safety and passing this on. If no one stands against them, then the terrible things we allow them to do are on all of us. I'm going to push back." He soaked his rag in the nail polish remover a little longer than necessary to give him time to quell the shaking in his hands.

"Thissss isss going to get worssse before it getsss better," Medusa hissed. She took down the last of the papers, revealing the entire slur. Grabbing another tag and taking the birthday of nail polish from him, soaked her rag. "You're going to need to stock up on nail polish remover."

"It's cheap," Horace replied, keeping his eyes on his work.

"And maybe ammo, too," Medusa's voice was soft again.

"I don't own a gun," Horace said, not softly.

"I'll buy you one," Medusa said.

"I don't want one," he replied. "You don't meet violence with violence."

"Doctor Martin Luther King owned a gun," Medusa almost whispered. "It might be something that you want to think about. After all," her voice turned playful, "I want always be here to eat the people who do this to you."

"Good one." Horace chuckled half-heartedly, trailing off as she didn't join in. She was joking, right? Had to be. But the topic of discussion wasn't funny, so...not a laughing matter then?

A gun?

That sounded expensive...and dangerous. Even if she was buying, didn't he need a license or permit or something? It would cost money and time...bureaucratic time, so if he actually was in danger, he'd be dead anyway by the time the city approved him, assuming they ever did. And getting caught illegally possessing a firearm didn't sound like a circumstance that would end well for him.

He didn't know how to use a gun, had never even held one. If he did learn, could he use one on another person, even one threatening him? He wasn't inclined towards violence, but it was hard to tell what you'd do until your back was against the wall. What would happen if it was and he still couldn't pull the trigger? That seemed like a recipe for disaster.

"Maybe I should start with a bat and graduate up from that." He suggested hopefully. He wasn't convinced he could use one of those on someone either, but it seemed safer to bluff with. And much simpler to acquire.

"A bat with spikes in it," Medusa answered seriously. "And quite a few of those voodoo spells you keep bragging about." It pulled at her heart strings that he didn't believe what as happening to him. She'd experienced it so many times, both before and after the war. Slurs painted on his building were par for the course, small stuff, done by small minded people. But just the addition of each sheet of paper over each letter showed a different level of initiative, it upped the ante. It made it more than just an annoyance that would go away if he didn't rise to the bait. It made it dangerous.

Because of her.

"We can reassssesssss," she added, "later if we need to." She didn't look at him and sighed heavily. If push came to shove, she could curl up at the doorway and eat anyone who looked suspicious.

Horace brightened. "That's a great idea. And I can get some protection charms, maybe a cleansing to clear out all the malicious energy. Safest store on the block." Seeing that she wasn't sharing his enthusiasm, he took her hand. "It'll be ok. We'll get through this, stronger than ever. I have faith."


	76. Chapter 75

A pounding in her head dragged April unwillingly back to consciousness. Ugh. What happened? And then the memories descended like an avalanche. The car. The office.

She shot upright, sending pillows and covers flying everywhere. "Mikey and Denim!"

Her vision swam and pain shot through her temples as though twin railroad spikes were being hammered into her skull. She leaned forward, heaving up her lunch...into a bucket that miraculously appeared in front of her.

As her vomiting transitioned into dry heaves she became aware of someone holding her hair out of the way. "Donnie?" She asked, looking up from the bucket to discover she was in their bedroom.

"It's ok. I'm here." He grabbed a glass of water, waiting on the night stand, and offered it to her.

She accepted with shaking hands. "Are they...did I...?"

"No." He shook his head. "But you're not getting your security deposit back."

Despite the pain, she choked back a laugh, sputtering water. "Seriously, I didn't hurt them or anyone?"

"Just the building. We were worried about Mikey having a concussion, but mom cleared him and the stress brought on some false labor, though Denim will be fine with bed rest." He elaborated. "Leo wanted us to stay at the warehouse with everyone else, but not even mom can help with your psychic hangovers and I require access to my lab, which I won't be relocating over there. Not with the kids and Mikey. Mostly Mikey."

She frowned, looking down at the glass of water. "It was bad. Really bad."

"Not as much as you'd think." Donnie corrected in a valiant effort to cheer her. "Karai's been looking into the aftermath and sent me what she found. There is some video on the net from people filming with their phones, but with the glowing eyes and zero-g hair combined with the tornado of debris around you, you aren't recognizable as anything more than a human woman. And, since you threw the car at your own building, a lot of people are calling it AFH terrorism and they're coming out as your unlikely champions, trying to convince everyone it's a hoax to make them look bad."

"That isn't what I meant." She said quietly. "I'm talking about me."

He sighed. "It has been a while since you've lost control like that."

Her hands tightened on the glass. "Not since I killed you."

"Right before you saved me." He added defensively. "Besides, that wasn't you. You were possessed."

"That's what it felt like this time too. All their hate and anger, so concentrated. I couldn't block it out and it just took control. I could've killed Mikey and Denim, or Karai or who knows how many strangers. What if I'd thrown that car into the crowd of people?" Fine cracks started appearing in the glass under the pressure of her fingers.

He gently pried the water out of her hands. "It'll be ok. Lie low for a bit. Rest and recover. I'll come up with some safety measures. I promise."

She reached out and clasped his hand. "Thanks, Donnie."

He tightened his hand around hers and gently kissed her aching head. "I'm always here for you."

TSOTC

Aries was about ready to drop. He'd been covering a lot of Raph's shifts lately, so that Raph could focus on bringing Zoe back. She'd been a little...off since they'd gotten her back and though he would never admit it out loud, he really missed his lunch-gossips with her.

Things would even out eventually. He just had to make it through the now. The mantra repeated in his head as he locked up the office, having worked until close. It was late, or early really, and only the janitorial staff remained.

"Where is he? I demand that you take me to him this instant. You can't hide him from me." An imperious, female voice rang through the building.

With a sigh, he headed out to save poor Jerry. The little chameleon mutant wasn't well-equipped to handle angry patrons.

And he was right. Beyond a short, blonde woman, Jerry cringed back, gripping his mop tightly, his scales involuntarily darkening to blend in with his surroundings.

While her long, probably-not-natural, platinum-blonde hair obscured most of her figure, he could still appreciate the shapely ass poking out from below her flowy shirt, perfectly accented by her stretchy, seemingly painted-on yoga pants. Personally, on a woman he found tight leggings to be a great combination with stiletto heels.

"Can I help?"

Jerry sagged in relief against his mop.

At his question, she rounded on him. Her violet eyes, a match for the color of her flowing, baby doll blouse, narrowed in fury at him. "You."

He blinked. What? Did he know her? She did look a little familiar. Yes. Her eyes looked lighter when glazed with desire. But why would a quickie in the coat room from forever ago be here now, pitching a fit?

"Uh, can I help you, miss...?" He started put trying to be civil.

"Glaston. Antoinette Glaston. And you can give me my life back. The one that you screwed up." She pointed at he as she spoke.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Look lady, I barely know you. How could I have possibly screwed up your life?"

Digging into her purse, she unearthed a picture and shoved it into his chest. "Because you're the only sheep I've ever fucked."

He looked at the photograph and his world tilted sideways. A sonogram. Of a tiny mutant lamb, curled up, seeming to be asleep.

"I had a good thing with Reginald. My own penthouse apartment where he could visit me, VIP restaurant access, designer clothes and jewelry. I had it all. He was even willing to tolerate my birth control malfunction. Until it obviously wasn't his. Now I'm out on my ass because he thinks I'm a twisted degenerate for producing the little abomination."

Aries's grip on the picture tightened. Abomination? This precious creature? He hadn't any clue about it a moment before, but now the need to defend and protect it was almost overwhelming.

"Your Reginald sounds like an asshole. If things were so great with him, why the he'll were you here all over me?" He spat out.

She rolled her eyes. "My regular life with him was great, especially with him mostly somewhere else. Not my love life. The man made my skin crawl. You were one of several workarounds for the problem."

Aries glared at her. "Well I can't make him take you back." And even if he could, he wouldn't. The bastard sounded like bad news for the little life dependent on this woman.

She sighed dramatically. "Well obviously not. But, as you deprived me of everything, I expect you to support me, in the lifestyle I'm accustomed to." She looked around at the club, considerably less glamorous during end of night clean up. "Or as close to it as possible anyway."

Aries blinked. "What?"

She pointed at the picture. "You made that. Take responsibility."

He looked down at the picture again, already inexplicably attached to the tiny stranger. How could just knowing about a person's existence be so powerful? What would happen to the kid if he didn't step in? The possibilities were alarming.

He took a deep breath, knowing that this wouldn't go over well with anyone. "You can stay with me."

She tapped the toe of her expensive-looking heels. "Fine. I guess that'll work until you can find me better accommodations than whatever hovel you live in."

Oh yeah. This was definitely going to be fun to explain to his siblings when he got home.

TSOTC

194\. Sated and well-loved, Zoe lay strewn across Raph's plastron. He'd been almost needy for her, seemed worried if not sad somehow. Odd for him. But even stranger for her was that she couldn't feel his emotions, his energy reaching her in a distorted current rather a clear resonance. She didn't like the feeling, as if there was a disconnect somewhere between them- or was it just her? Tiny hairs raised on the back of her neck at the thought, giving way to the warm pooling in her stomach. Maybe it wasn't him or her ability, just her hormones muting them.

Listening to his steady inhales and exhales she decided he was still well asleep. But there was something, she lifted her head, glancing down at her feet, or _someone_ curled up at the foot of their bed. Pointing her toes, she lightly tapped at the lump, feeling the familiar ridges of her son's marginal shell. She frowned. Another nightmare. When had he snuck in and why hadn't she woken for it?

She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Four-thirty A.M. Why was she up so soon? She pouted. It would be several long boring hours before anyone else got up. Ugh. Her cheek still mashed against Raph's shoulder, she dozed, listening for his rhythmic inhales and exhales. In the rare quiet of the warehouse it was easier to hear and she enjoyed the easy cadence. Soon more breath sounds followed, out of sync with Raphael's. Her own breathing was in turn with his. Antonello.

A faint pitter patter sound irritated her as if someone had dragged their fingernails across the hood of a car. The noise was accompanied by a pungent odor… She sniffed, picking up scents of her and Raphael's mating, Raph himself, and Anton. No… none of those. That wasn't what this was.

She lifted her head, inhaling deep. What was that? It smelled like dust and musk. Something moved across the floor and her insides lit up like blazing inferno. Follow it! Leaping from the bed in flawless silence, her feet hit the concrete, her hands following. Whatever it was, it was quick, tiny and- Where'd it go? She inhaled deep, stretching her neck out to get a better location on the creature without giving away her awareness. Her eyes widened, pupils zeroing in on the contents of the room. Dresser. No. Desk. No. Punching Bag. No. There! By the door! There it was!

Leaping forward she gave chase, only for it to dart into the hall. Damn! It went left but her momentum was right, her foot slipping as she tried to change direction. Her toes fanned out seeking purchase, scrambling as she found none, instead sliding into the lamp between the corner and doorframe. Her foot caught on it, flipping it over as she jerked free, eyes tracking the hall as she fumbled into it. Oh! Oh! There it went!

"What the-"

"Mom?"

Catch it! Catch it! Closer! She sprinted down the hall following the tiny creature as it scampered into Aries' room. The darned thing must've sensed she was in pursuit as it made a huge circle at the foot of his bed, weaving in and out of the legs of his workbench and chair as it tried in vain to lose her. It wouldn't get away! She had this thing! Her mouth began to water, her fangs elongating. Ew! A tiny voice grimaced. She didn't want to eat it. Just- Oh! There it was under the desk! She reached between the chair legs batting at it. As she stretched between the legs, trying to get closer, it changed direction again. As she yanked backwards, the chair tipped rolling over her back as she leapt to her feet running after the escapee.

"Who the hell is that?" A female voice complained.

"Zoe?"

A beam of light shone down the hall, flickering across the floor and for half a second Zoe couldn't decide which to chase. The creature or the moving white-gold beams. Then the tubular shaped light flickered across the very thing she was looking for. She launched forward as it darted into yet another room, only when she entered this one the creature's scent compounded, dominating the space. She ground to a halt, sensing the locations of the extra smells. One in the tiny bed to her left… the other in the larger bed to her right. Which did she go after first?

"Zoe?" A male and female voice called to her in unison.

She didn't get a chance to decide as her original goal scampered over her toes. Her mouth opened, a strange chirping- chattering sound filing the room as she lifted her foot, launching the creature into the air as she snatched it in her hand. The tiny being let out a delightful squeak as it squirmed in her palm.

Then it bit her.

Her fingers parted of their own accord, her nails elongating into claws as the mouse bounced on the floor. Its feet were already making a run for it, the back end seeming to spin out before propelling it forward at break-neck speed. Her muscles coiled and released as she dove after it. The minute villain emitting a string of desperate eeps as it fled down the stairs toward the living area. Zoe leapt onto the railing, not hesitating to dive off. Spring-boarding from the sofa, she landed beautifully right in front of the creature's path and dropped down. Elongating her body, she pounced, snatching the mouse by its tail. Pleased with her catch she stood, tipping her head to the side as she studied the dangling, flailing creature.

Sappho relaxed her guard, having descended into the living area ready to face down intruders when she heard the commotion. But there was no danger that she could see. And the quiet staring of everyone else in the room suggested likewise. Worrying about an attack should cause heightened environmental vigilance, but all eyes appeared fixated on Zoe. For her accomplishment? She'd have to ask Arcos later.

At least she knew what to do now. Crossing to the kitchen, she pulled the marker from the clip board and crossed out 'buy mouse traps' from the To Do list on the dry erase board. Zoe had solved their gnawed-open cereal boxes problem.

"Medusa usually takes care of that," Arcos said, pointing to the dry erase board. He yawned widely, his maw large enough to swallow one of the small people now jumping on the couch. "Squeakers, you are gonna bust your head open."

Yuuta made a nasty squeak in his older brother's direction.

"Language!" his mother called.

The young rat's next squeak was more contrite.

"Uh." A disgusted sound came from behind the bear. He turned to see the woman, Antoinette Aries had introduced her has, look upon the domestic scene with an upturned lip. Her fake blonde hair was up in a quick ponytail, as if she went to bed with it coiffed and woke up with it coiffed. However, strands of it floated about her head. Her pajamas, which may have been silk, but may have been sateen, clung to her body with static, along with a few bits of Aries wool.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Phoenix said with an exaggerated sweetness. She beamed a bright, almost manic smile at Antoinette, and motioned to the coffee pot. "Get yourself come coffee," she sang. "Time to be up and running for the day!"

Splinter shot his wife a warning glance that she blatantly ignored.

Zoe reluctantly dropped her _catch_ into the waste-bin, a sleepy-eyed Denim held out to her. Her heavily pregnant sister quickly clapped a lid over it, waddling her way toward the side door. Michelangelo followed, whimpering pleas for her to go back to bed.

Then Raph was in Zoe's way. "You feeling okay, Z?"

She stared at the closed door, her mind clouding over before gradually clearing, as Raph's face appeared in front of her. A strange yearning, retreated as he blocked her view of the exit. Why was he staring at her like that? She was fine. What time was it, anyway? Her chin tipped toward the skylight. Still dark. Why was everyone up?

"Z?" Raph repeated, his voice laced with uncertainty.

She looked at him again, took an easy breath and shrugged. "I'm fine. Are _you_?"

"S-s-sure, yeah. I'm- I'm good." His eyes darted over her in such a way she didn't believe him. "Yeah. I'm great. Uh, you want to get some breakfast?"

A strange female, close to Aries, snorted. "I don't know about this," she said, jabbing a finger in the ram's chest. "You live with a bunch of weirdos."

Zoe looked the woman up and down, from frizzy blonde hair to pointy, cherry-red manicured nails. Classic gold-digger. Well she was wasting her time. Shouldn't she be able to see that from looking around? So, not a smart one...

Zoe's nose wrinkled, but she managed to keep her lip from curling. Then, a new, but familiar odor hit her nostrils. Strange. She looked around, spying Denim as she waved Mikey back while she ascended the stairs. Hmmm... Zoe inhaled deeper. No. Denim smelled similar, but not exactly the same. Yet her condition was...

She looked at Aries, finding his expression unreadable. Did he know? She stepped closer to him, going in for a read, but as she reached out he sidestepped her. Frowning, Zoe's attention returned to the blonde. "How far along are you?"

The morning stirrings-to-life of the Hamato family seemed to freeze. From Raph stiffening, to Yuuta bumping into Anton as the two jumped on the couch, Denim and Mikey stopping on the steps their heads turning, Sappho and Arcos looking up from the kitchen table and Mother glancing up from her kettle while Father halted mid-closing of the tea canister.

What? Was it something she said? It was a simple question- unless- Slowly, her eyes lifted to meet her ram brothers.

Just then Leo's figure appeared in his bedroom doorway, a blur in her periphery. "Karai's in the shower combatting some instinct to eat the uh- what's going on, now?" Flinching back, he held up his hands defensively. "Zoe, clothes. Please."

Aries's suitor raised a trembling finger, pointed towards Zoe. "Something is _wrong_ with her. How could she know? These pajamas were specifically designed to hide it. That woman is not right. Don't _look_ at her!" She screeched as his eyes reflexively followed her gesture. "She had a mouse in her mouth." She waved her hand in Zoe's direction again. "Stop looking at her!"

At that point Raph managed to get a blanket, handed to him by Anton, around Zoe's shoulders.

Pouting fiercely, Aries's girlfriend crossed her arms over her chest. "This is unacceptable. You need to get me my own place."

"It hasn't even been two hours." He replied tiredly.

She stomped a dainty foot. "I need my own place." She demanded, voice shrill and piercing, before storming back towards Aries's room.

He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.

199\. "She's _living_ with us?" Arcos pointed at the woman, speaking as if she weren't there. "Aren't we supposed to get some sort of vote or something?"

Sappho looked up at him and shrugged.

"I vote no," Raph muttered.

"Wait a minute, there, cupcakes," Phoenix's voice rose over everyone else's.

Aries girlfriend didn't stop. "Uh, Toni," the ram ran toward her, stopping her and physically turning her around. "My mama is talking to you."

"Phoebe," Splinter warned at the same time.

She, true to form, ignored him. "I am going to assume," she continued in a sickly-sweet voice, having reached Antoinette, "that your _condition_ ," she spat out the word and glared at Aries, then turned back to her, "which we are all just now finding out about, is the reason for your poor behavior." Antoinette opened her mouth, but Phoenix held up a finger, "I would advise you," she said in a deadly voice, "to shut it." Antoinette did. "As I was saying," Aries mother smiled. "I understand you may be feeling under the weather, but it is polite to say 'Good morning," when you wake up." She paused, obviously waiting for the phrase to be repeated.

It wasn't.

"Say good morning," Aries told her desperately through the corner of his mouth.

Antoinette glared at him.

Phoenix reached up and grabbed Antoinette's cheeks, turning her gaze toward her. "It is polite," she drew each word out, "to say good morning."

"Phoebe!" Splinter was at her side, but he made no move to make her unhand their newest tenant.

"Goob morbig!" Antoinette said, grabbing Phoenix's wrist to dislodge her. Her eyes went wide when she was unable to do so.

Phoenix released her, leaving two red fingerprints on the sides of her cheeks. "Good morning!" she said cheerily. "Have a seat at the table, and I'll make you a cup of coffee, and we can talk about the state of things." She smiled up at Aries also, who licked his lips nervously.

Aries's girlfriend straightened in her chair and fixed her hair, as though she'd chosen to sit at the table. "Fine. I'll have a cinnamon dolce latte with non-dairy milk, almond is best, but I'll settle for soy, and monk fruit sweetener instead of brown sugar. The natural stuff, not the crap with all the additives." She ordered as though she were a customer in a cafe.

"On it." Mikey answered cheerfully, turning to Sappho. "Hey sis, recipe me."

Sappho blinked in surprise, but quickly nodded, appearing to space out for a moment before grabbing a notepad off the counter and starting to write.

"Toni." Aries spoke in low warning.

She frowned. "Tony was my super. I am not a sweaty, plunger-toting man in coveralls." She corrected indignantly.

He sighed. "Ana, then."

"Antionette. I don't do nicknames." She crossed her arms over her chest petulantly.

"Uh, I think I'm gonna need to run out to the store." Mikey said as he read Sappho's instructions.

"Enough." Phoenix clapped her palms on the table, silencing the room. She started with Mikey. " _You_ are not going anywhere." Then turned her attention back to Antoinette. "Your choices are store brand regular or decaf. Take your pick."

Antoinette's face scrunched in distaste.

"We've got creamer and normal sugar. Enough that you can almost pretend it's hot chocolate...without the chocolate." Mikey suggested helpfully.

Antoinette's lip quivered. "It's been impossible to stick to a proper diet since this happened to me. I've been eating like a pig and I'm gonna end up gross and disgusting."

"Ana, that's not true..." Aries started reassuringly.

"I don't wanna be fat." She wailed ignoring him.

Blanket slipping off her shoulder, Zoe opened the fridge and pulled out the container of milk.

"Then why'd ya get knocked up?" Raph asked, while coaxing the jug from Zoe's hand to pour the creamy liquid into a glass.

His mate frowned as she accepted it. "Don't like milk." She sniffed it, wrinkled her nose then jabbed at the liquid with her pointer finger.

"Well of course I didn't- "

Raph didn't give Ana-who-ya whatever-her-name-was a chance to finish answering, his attention shifting to Aries. "I thought you said and I quote-" Raph made air quotes lifting and lowering the milk jug in one hand. " _Since Raph and Zoe's adventures in teen-parenting, I've been using protection_."

Zoe swatted at his rising and falling hand while sipping her milk.

Trying his best to ignore the fact that his mate was slipping away into someone or _something_ much- more- his thoughts hit a wall, unable to form anything other than his Zoe, her body present but mind slipping. Her consciousness came and went, in and out like a twinkling Christmas light. His stomach turned. Yeah, it was easier to pick on his ram brother than face something so out of his control. "So, what happened to that, _Lambert_ , hmm?"

"It's called a birth control failure, oh, irresponsible one." Aries glanced down at Antoinette with his golden eyes. His horizontal pupils were large, the look dubious. They went back to Zoe, going up and down with her hands as she swatted at Raph.

"Failure is right," cried Antoinette. "I'm going to blow up like a balloon!"

"You do you know how babies are made, right?" Arcos muttered.

Antoinette glared at him with tears in her eyes.

"This is a time for celebration," Splinter said calmly, placing a cup of coffee in front of the girl.

"Yes, it is," Phoenix agreed, sliding in a seat next to her and moving the old, chrome-legged, vinyl chair closer to her. "We have two new members of our family," she said loudly. She then reached over and kissed Antoinette loudly on the cheek. "Welcome, Ana!"

"Antoinette." She corrected with a pout before furtively eyeing Raph and Arcos. "So, are we not voted off the island then? Because I don't think everyone's ok with Aries's _promise_ to take care of us." Her hand ran over the small bulge of her abdomen as she spoke.

Aries huffed out a breath, sloshing coffee over the rim as he carelessly swiped up his mug. "I said I've got you covered and I meant it. No matter what."

Denim couldn't help overhearing the new pregnant woman, as she made her way to the bathroom. Aries had a girlfriend? He'd never mentioned her before. Didn't he only have flings, wasn't that like his _thing_?

Whatever the situation was, the blonde sure complained a lot about her pregnancy, and coffee, and new living arrangements. She must be having a terrible time.

Leaving the bathroom, Denim supported the ever more uncomfortable weight of her twins. The pressure combined with one baby's foot in her ribs and the other's shell pressing against her bladder had her a bit grouchy. She just _went_ but already felt like she had to _go_ again. Her back hurt something awful, she hadn't slept well and she'd snapped at Mikey twice this morning already, for no real reason at all. Not to mention bedrest was downright boring.

And there was something off about Anton's book selection. Since when did kindergarteners _read_ To Kill A Mockingbird? In fact, when did they _read_ or _write_ book reports for that matter? She'd have to have a word with him later. Right now, she had to ask, what no one had yet, of the newcomer. Denim leaned against the rail overlooking the kitchen area. "Have you been sick?"

Antoinette looked around for the source of the voice calling out to her and gasped at the sight of Denim, panicked eyes widening as her hands flew to her belly.

"She's having twins, Ana, relax." Aries muttered.

Antoinette sagged back into her chair. "Oh, thank goodness. She's huge."

"Whoa, not cool." Mikey protested.

Aries cleared his throat and steered the conversation back onto the rails. "She does have a point. How have you been doing? Are you healthy?"

Antoinette rolled her eyes. "Why does everyone keep asking that? I've always been healthy. I know how to treat myself properly, which is more than I can say for most people. But everyone keeps acting all surprised that I'm fine. You should've seen the doctor's face at my last appointment before he ordered that damned ultrasound. He said I was in the one percent or something and I was like of course I'm in the one percent, I'm dating Reginald Grayson. Although I suppose that's not true anymore." She sighed, looking forlornly about the warehouse.

Aries groaned, rubbing the bridge of his snout. "I don't think the doctor was talking about your financial situation, Ana."

"Please. What else does the one percent ever mean?" She scoffed, taking a dainty sip of her coffee before grimacing.

Mikey placed the sugar bowl on the table and Phoenix pushed it toward Antoinette. "It means that the doctor is guestimating that only 1 out of 100 human beings can become pregnant with a mutant's child." She smiled sweetly when the young woman stared at her. "That puts you in the 1%."

"Congratulations!" Mikey beamed. "That's fantastic!"

Antoinette looked like she was about to cry.

"It is fantastic," Phoenix said, putting her slender arm around her. "And I can tell there is nothing wrong with her at all. She's as healthy as a horse."

"As a sheep, you mean," Raph muttered.

"I heard that," Aries huffed.

Denim couldn't help the pang of jealously stabbing her in the gut as she forced a smile. "Yes," her voice came out a tight, frail sound. "Congratulations." She cleared her throat, reminding herself to be grateful that she had Donnie and Phoenix and they'd made it this far. Still, the newbie huffed and pouted as though she'd been hexed, rather than blessed with good health in the rarest of circumstances. "I'm glad you're well. "Denim insisted, her voice cracking despite her efforts. "Excuse me, I'm just going back to bed."

Zoe's head tipped toward a retreating Denim. Mikey's mate was off somehow. Her powers askew, she couldn't get a read on the nature of it, beyond the easy-to-interpret body language. But sadness and jealousy weren't all of it. She inhaled deep, catching the array of scents and picking through them. The woodsy cedar of Raph, the herbal aroma that chased Mother, the metallic smell that lingered around Sappho, and Aries' wool smelling like he'd rolled in fabric softener... all blending with the mix of pheromones and hormones that assaulted her from multiple directions.

She sniffed. Again. Then. There it was, at the very end, wafting down from the slight breeze in Denim's wobbly wake.

Decay.

"She's sick," Zoe murmured. Her gaze drifted to Antoinette. "You're lucky on multiple accounts."

The blonde made a suppressed gagging sound. "I don't see how."

As Zoe leaned toward the woman, the air filled with tension from those around her. Aware as her eyes narrowed to feline slits, Zoe informed Antoinette of her blessings. "It would seem you're in good health and you've managed to trap my brother in your snare." A low warning growl rumbled in her chest. "Be careful though, that you treat him with respect lest I mistake you for a ball of yarn once the littlest lamb arrives."

Antoinette shrieked and thrashed back away from Zoe, spilling her coffee and tumbling out of her chair.

Aries barely caught her before she hit the ground, gently pulling her to her feet as she continued struggling to put more distance between herself and Zoe.

"You heard her. She wants to hurt me." Antoinette cried out, pointing a trembling finger at Zoe. "She's going to kill me."

"Easy now, no one is going to..." Aries started placatingly, when she spun around, jabbing her finger into his wooly chest.

"No. I... _we_ ," she gestured to her abdomen, "are not safe around _her_. You have to protect us. We need our own place."

"Ana..." He tried again.

"You don't care about us at all." She burst out sobbing and fled back upstairs.

"Ana!" He yelled as she slammed the door to his room. "Dammit."

Phoenix stood serenely, shaking coffee from her hands. "Good pick, Lamb's Ear," she said with sickly sweet voice. "Looks like we are all in for quite a rollercoaster ride." She sighed as she walked to the sink and began washing her hands. Taking a rag she soaked it, before ringing it out and walking towards the stairs. "I advise you start making up a list of things for building an apartment downstairs," Phoenix said. "It doesn't appear that Ana it's used to communal living."

"Where are you going?" Aries asked, watching her leave.

"To show Ana how to use the washing machine," she said.

"What?" Aries asked.

"She spilled sugary coffee all over herself," Phoenix explained. "She's going to need to wash her clothes. And she doesn't have a maid anymore." She flashed him an evil smile before disappearing down the stairs.

"I don't want to build an apartment," Aries complained.

"I'm not helping," Raph muttered.

"I helped you," Aries shot back.

"We will all help," Splinter said, glancing at each individual in the room.

"There goes the weekend," Arcos groused.

TSOTC

Zoe shifted impatiently as Donnie jotted down her vitals, clearly holding herself in place by a monumental act of will. If not for Raph, she'd probably be anywhere but here.

He pulled out a pen light and shined it into her left eye, watching the pupillary response with a sharp intake of breath. While the pupil dilated as expected in response to the light, instead of becoming a round, black pinprick, it closed into a vertical slit. Just like a cat's eyes.

He'd noted her new set of claws when checking her over right after the rescue, a souvenir of her stay with the EDF. But her pupils had dilated like a human's then. Not just mentally, but physically, she was more feline now than she'd been before. Whatever they'd done to her, it was still happening.

Tapping the pen light in his hand, he began to pace as he thought. "I know how you feel about needles, Zoe, but I really think I should take a blood sample for analysis. Raph, if you could help keep her calm during to process, that should make it go more quickly and smoothly."

When he didn't get a response, he looked back at them, to discover Zoe gone from the folding chair and Raph staring towards the corner of the room with a frown. Following, his brother's gaze, he found Zoe, crouched in the corner, grabbing at the beam from his pen light as it traveled the wall with each tap against his hand.

"Yeah, let's get this done. The sooner ya know what's goin' on, the sooner I can get my Z back." Raph replied gravely.

As he watched his sister clap her hands over the spot of light, Donnie hoped he could deliver that.

TSOTC

April curled up on the couch, nursing her aching head as she flipped through pictures on her tablet. Stills from Denim's ultrasound. The hollow ache in her heart went from a whisper to a roar. She'd longed and waited. Been patient. But sometimes Donnie couldn't get out of the trap in his head, and the disaster at the AFE had certainly taken back any ground she might've gained with him. If she stayed the course and remained gentle she might never get anywhere. Maybe it was time for a different approach.

She tossed the tablet aside to get up and seek Donnie out, finding him seated at the table in the kitchen. Their table was covered with tools and bit of electronics. He sat hunched over one of her old headbands, tweaking a microchip, hidden inside the black fabric, with a comically tiny screwdriver.

"I haven't worn that in years."

He about jumped out of his shell, awkwardly juggling the headband and screwdriver as they flew about around him.

She reached out and plucked them from the air, setting them down on the table.

"Hey. I didn't hear you come in." He chuckled, removing the headgear of magnifying glasses he'd been wearing.

She smiled. "I gathered."

"In theory, this should generate a field to dampen your powers while you wear it, to prevent future lapses in control." Donnie explained, gesturing to the headband. "Plus, I always thought you looked good in headbands." He blushed.

She seated herself on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and watched his blush deepen, loving that she could still fluster him, even after all this time. "I've been thinking a lot about this and I know it worries you, but I'm ready to start a family."

He immediately stiffened, eyes going wide as he stammered. "B-b-but..."

"I know our child is out there, waiting to exist. I can feel it. And I really want to meet that child." She added softly.

Donnie looked at her, trembling. "But the world is so dangerous. Look at what happened at the AFE offices. How can we bring a child into this? The thought of losing one..." He looked down. "I don't think I can. Not right now."

April cupped his cheeks and lifted his face to look at her. "When have our lives not been dangerous? I think it might always be that way and, if we let fear rule us, we are going to miss out."

Donnie's brow furrowed. "But...I don't know..."

April took a long, deep breath before continuing. "We've been through a lot, almost lost each other so many times. Once by my own hand no less." Her voice shook, but she pressed on. "I didn't know anything could be so unbearable."

He reached up to touch her hands on his face.

"But, despite that pain, I have never regretted loving you, never regretted having us. The joy you've brought me is more than worth it. I know it will be the same with our child. No matter what, having him or her will be worth anything."

Donnie swallowed hard. "But what if I lose you both?"

Her expression softened. "I believe in my strength to get through this and your ability to help me there. I have faith in us. We can do this. Do you trust me?"

One hand wrapped around hers as the other snaked up behind her head to pull her in close as he answered. "With all my heart, mind and soul."

TSOTC

Sappho pushed the shopping cart, following Arcos through the supermarket, another of many things that proved problematic attempting on her own.

Despite the frustratingly detail-free shopping list, Arcos inexplicably knew which item to choose from the multitude of varieties, quantities and brands.

She'd already joined Leonardo in the ban against attempting to cook. It turned out that her synthetic tongue, while excellent at identifying potential toxins and a wide range of chemicals, had not been designed to actually taste. The engineers must have considered that to be an unnecessary function. Thus, she'd been in the habit of consuming food to meet purely nutritional requirements, which, based on everyone's reactions, had not produced palatable results. Even Michelangelo had to smother his serving in hot sauce and hadn't gone for seconds. She'd promised to try following given recipes, but no one was willing to risk it again.

She'd also attempted to pitch in maintaining the warehouse. Two deep cleans in and now it was about as sanitary as it would get without actually becoming dirty again with any rapidity. That left minor chores of maintaining, like dishes and laundry, which did not occupy her days. And she'd learned the hard way to leave the clutter be as not being able to find one's stuff was apparently infuriating. Even if her storage solutions were vastly superior and more efficient than those of the object's disgruntled owner.

At first, she thought all the free time would give her a chance to make sense of her new life. It hadn't. All that thinking and still no purpose. She wasn't even sure where to begin. And, for as long as she could remember, she'd always been busy, training, working missions or under repair. Aside from watching Arcos paint, which still instilled in her an unfamiliar sense of wonder and joy, she didn't know what to fill her days with.

"Is everything ok?" Arcos asked, brows furrowed.

She smiled, a strange phenomenon that unfailingly occurred whenever she was the object of his attention. "It's just...it seems like I should be doing something...I don't know, useful, productive, purposeful. Everyone has something they do. But I... I just exist."

Arcos smiled back at her, but it was small and a little sad. "We all just exist," he said. He had his entire life simply existed. They're having being no chance for him to achieve anything, being hidden and living in the shadows. He and his siblings had simply done what they've loved. The following in their mother's footsteps, tried to be kind. He often found himself falling short on both counts. "We do what we need to do. We stick together." He knew he was falling short now, in trying to explain this to her. He put his arm around her and drew her to his side.

Sappho leaned against his solid chest, his scent soothing as she considered his words. He thought he just existed? How was that possible when he created such beauty? When he looked at the world, he saw it better than it was, saw what was possible, hidden truth, and had the skill to share that vision. Beholding the sketches, he'd done of her, she almost believed she could be a person and not the weapon they'd designed her to be. That was so much more than existing.

She'd never created anything. If the girl who died in the fire had, she couldn't remember it. Not that she could lay claim to it even if that were the case. The girl who'd died was someone else entirely.

Tempting as it was to refute him, she didn't want to argue. Disagreements with him, few and far between as they were, made her uncomfortable, as though she were hollowing out an empty space within herself. So, whether or not it was wise, she found herself evading discord whenever possible.

She breathed him in, long and slow. "I'm not sure I know how. I've never just existed before. Anyone not productive enough got decommissioned and stripped for parts, so life was always some kind of busy. Now, everyone seems to fit somewhere. But, I'm at a loss with what to do with all the empty hours." Her brow crinkled as she tried to understand her predicament from other angles. "Your art, it's still seems like magic to me. How did you know it's what you were meant to do?"

"Because I can't not do it," Arcos explained, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing. "It's how I think. Everything is a potential painting or drawing, waiting to tell a story in an image." He chuckled. "That sounded pretty pretentious, huh?". He let her go, a goofy grin on his face.

"Maybe a bit." She chuckled. "But it also sounds like a vocation." The closest she'd ever come to such a calling was meeting Arcos and knowing that she belonged wherever he was. Too bad there was no true north for the remaining aspects of her life.

Looking beyond Arcos and the end of the aisle, her vision zoomed in on the customer service center, where some flyers, titled 'Help Wanted,' had been taped up along the wall, directing readers to a website. It was worth a shot. "Barring inspiration, maybe I can figure out what I'm meant to do through trial and error."

"That's how most people do it," he said. His eyes followed her to the help wanted poster. "But are you sure you want to do something that puts you in the public eye like that? We're kind of in hiding. And I doubt those freaks at that installation are going to stop looking for you." His voice sounded choked.

Her hand curled around his. "After what happened, they aren't going to stop looking for any of us. But, since they know about the dojo, La Vida Loca and Antonello's school and haven't made a move yet, despite how public those places are, I fear our recent encounters have convinced them to try different methods." Her brows scrunched up over the bridge of her nose as she reflected on that problem. "I can be circumspect while going out like everyone else so that they don't find the warehouse. And besides, Donatello reworked my digital frequency so they can't connect back to me. In my case, they'll be searching the old-fashioned way for one, human-looking woman in a city of millions. You could help me come with a disguise though." A smile played at the corners of her mouth.

Arcos laughed, a deep grizzly sound. "A disguise." He sounded almost as if he were humoring one of the children. "Dye your hair red?" He shook his head, "That was a joke, by the way." Red hair was way too close to home.

Sappho pinched some of her short hair thoughtfully. "Statistically speaking, red might make me stand out. Plus, since this is synthetic, I'm not sure hair dye would work on it. Or at least not in the way it's expected to." And then she grinned. "But a wig might do the trick. Doesn't Medusa's boyfriend sell stuff like that?"

Arcos nodded cautiously. "I think so."

Sappho clapped her hands together. "Perfect. Let's finish up here and pay him a visit."

"I'm not sure that's the kind-" Arcos began, but stopped abruptly, his deep brown eyes gazing ahead of him.

"Arcos?" Sappho asked, her voice uncertain. "Is something the matter?"

Before the bear could answer, a pretty blonde, with pale skin and pink cheeks walked up to them. "Arcos?" she asked.

 _As if I can be anyone else,_ he wanted to growl. "Jennifer," he said stiffly, giving the woman a curt nod.

Sappho looked back and forth between Arcos and the woman he'd addressed as Jennifer. She didn't know enough about social interaction to determine whether Jennifer ignoring her was normal or rude, but she didn't care. There was something in Arcos's voice and posture that raised her hackles. She might not know why, but she was certain that she didn't like this Jennifer.

Stepping forward, she partway wedged herself between Arcos and Jennifer, sticking out her hand in a gesture of greeting she'd seen others use before. "I'm Sappho."

Blue eyes turned to Sappho, looking her up and down, a small smile on Jennifer's face. "Is this your girlfriend?" she asked the bear mutant.

It took a moment for Arcos to answer. "Yes," he said lowly.

"Shopping for dinner tonight?" Jennifer almost sang, that same, small smile never leaving her lips.

"Shopping for my family for the week," Arcos replied, shaking his head, drawing his brows together. "Excuse us, we need to get back home."

"Your home or his home?" Jennifer turned to Sappho, a glint in her eyes. "Silly me, his apartment. He probably can't fit in your bed."

Sappho frowned. Her bed? Her apartment? She didn't have anything. And why would it matter if she did? The family seemed to share communally. Jennifer's fixation on individual possessions puzzled her. Well, the answer to her question seemed simple enough.

Sappho reached over to clasp Arcos's hand. "We need to get back to _our_ home."

Jennifer's blue eyes flitted from Sappho to Arcos, and back again. "You're living together?" The question was asked incredulously.

Arcos gave a huff. "With my family," he said in a low voice. "We've decided to live together again."

"But you said you hated that," Jennifer exclaimed. "That's why you had your own apartment by yourself."

He shrugged, his free hand began to push the cart forward, his other paw still engulfing Sappho's. "I changed my mind."

Sappho's eyes slid over to Arcos. He didn't like living with his family? She hadn't known that. Was he compromising happiness for safety? Because she'd exposed them to the EDF? Just how many ramifications did her actions have?

Lost in doubt, she followed as Arcos pulled her along while trying to maneuver the cart around Jennifer who was in no hurry to get out of the way.

"You gave up your apartment to live with your parents, in their shit hole apartment complex?" Jennifer's voice was incredulous.

Arcos turned his head to look down at her, his eyes half closed.

"How are you all fitting in there?" She shook her head, then looked straight at Sappho. "I don't know if you know much about his mother, but she's a demanding bitch. And his father is a judgmental asshole. Even he will tell you that." She glanced at him, as if for confirmation. He growled very lowly. She stepped away, letting out a nervous laugh. "That's why I left you, Arcos," she said as if talking to a child. Then her attention was back on Sappho. "And why you shouldn't stick around."

Sappho gaped. Was this woman a previous lover of Arcos's? She struggled to grasp it. They seemed so incompatible. She couldn't fathom how they'd ever even happened. Though understanding people wasn't her strong suit.

But maybe it wasn't Jennifer's either if she resented the people who had somehow forgiven Sappho for the disaster she'd rained down upon their family. If she didn't realize what she'd given up.

Unless she did. And that's why Jennifer was trying to drive her off. Ugh. Social conflicts made her head hurt.

Well, she didn't need to understand Jennifer's motivations or tactics. Because there was one thing she could be absolutely sure of.

"I'm exactly where I want to be." Sappho replied in a cool voice, meeting Jennifer's eyes. "And I'm not going anywhere." She looked back at Arcos. "This is where I belong."

Jennifer took in a deep breath, as if she'd just been slapped, her eyes darting from one of them to the other. "He's an animal, girlfriend," she said, her gaze resting on Sappho. "It'll come out sooner or later." She looked back at him, her mouth pursed tightly. "Just like it did now. And growling at someone is considered a threat, by the way," she pointed at him. "You might want to try and curb that. Oh yeah," she stepped to the side, cocking her hip. "You can't."

Moving with inhuman speed and strength, Sappho shot forward, clamping onto Jennifer by the throat to lift her off the ground and slam her against the aisle shelves. Boxes of pasta cascaded down, scattering across the floor.

She did not like Jennifer's words. She did not like the way Jennifer had said them. And she did _not_ like the way Arcos had flinched when Jennifer spoke. This would not stand.

Jennifer's eyes bugged out and her face turned red as she clawed at Sappho's iron grip.

What did this woman know? Arcos was more human than Sappho would ever be. Besides... "The worst monsters I've ever known were human, so don't pretend being human makes you better." Sappho responded, voice tight with anger.

"Sappho," Arcos' deep voice was soft and near Sappho's ear. "You have to let her go." Jennifer's face began to turn purple.

"What the hell?" a sales associate yelled, noticing the altercation in the isle. "What are you doing? Stop!"

Arcos placed himself between Sappho and the clerk. "Put her down," he said calmly, as he did when Aries had one of his tantrums when they were younger. "You can't do this. We're going to be in trouble." Boy, were they going to be in trouble...He placed his paw on her arm, his fingers curling softly around her cocoa skin. "Come on," he crooned. "Let's go home."

The rage ebbed and Sappho blinked, dropping Jennifer as her brain processed all the tactical shortcomings her actions had for her new life under the radar.

What was that? Whatever it was, it had been powerful.

Jennifer sat in a puddle on the floor, sucking in air like a drowning woman. A supermarket employee and several shoppers were now in the aisle, gaping at the scene she'd caused.

Not good. She tensed, debating the merits of eliminating the witnesses. Were there security cameras? Should she...

"Sappho." Arcos spoke softly, paw gently pressed against her back between the shoulder blades, drawing the tension out of her. "Let's go home."

Relaxing into him, she banished the strategies suggesting themselves. That wasn't her life, wasn't who she was. Not anymore. Letting out a long, slow breath, she nodded. "Yes, let's go home."

TSOTC

A few days post Aries dropping his "Baby Mama" bomb on the family, Denim had enough. Between the cranky blonde and the constant banging and whirring of construction, well it was all too much. Heavily pregnant and erring more toward miserable every day wasn't bringing out the best in her. She fished her keys out of her purse, sliding them into the lock of her and Mikey's apartment while trying to still her flopping heart.

Standing outside the door brought so much of their recent past rushing to the forefront. It reminded her why they were all staying at the warehouse to begin with. She inhaled as deep as she could, which really didn't feel like a full breath, not with two babies crammed for space. Her entire body ached with fatigue. But bed rest was another thing that had to end. Her head ached for the array of nightmares roiling through her skull.

She stared at the door, trying to divert her attention from flooding her mind with memories of a bloody dead husband, one she'd killed. Exhaling, she tried to release the burdens currently smothering her energy, turned the handle and stepped inside.

Carefully avoiding the terrible spot where _it_ happened, she shuffled down the hall to their bedroom. As the living room faded behind her, the warm rays of sunlight that filled their room welcomed her. Even more so were the streams of golden ribbons beckoning her up the few steps to their little sunroom.

Panting after the short climb, she planted herself in the lounge chair, waiting to catch her breath. So much was irritating her. Antoinette and her constant whining. Endless complaints about minor discomforts that Denim only wished were the worst of her problems.

Letting her purse slide to the floor she unzipped it, grasping the next thing that puzzled her. She opened the dog-eared copy of To Kill A Mockingbird, pulling out the letter from the school that came with it.

 _Dear parents and guardians,_

 _I am aware that many of you have voiced concerns about the most recent long-term assignment. This communication is to address those concerns and clarify the assignment as it applies to my kindergarten class._

 _First, the district has chosen To Kill a Mockingbird and a few other unorthodox selections in an effort to help our students understand and deal with the present political climate. While there exist some age-appropriate books, which we are also using, the superintendent does not consider them sufficient and has chosen materials for the ENTIRE school system._

 _I understand that the reading level is advanced for kindergarteners and that some of you are not ready to present the more mature topics in the novel to your children. The school system respects that._

 _In the packet each student brought home, there are specific sections of the novel that are assigned to your children with the intent of helping them process recent events. We would appreciate your support in reading the specified excerpts with your children, having them identify sight words and apply phonics towards reading the text as they are able. Otherwise, please read to them._

 _The report, in the case of the early grade levels, is more of a journal. Guiding discussion questions for each excerpt are included in your packet. Have you children write their responses as much as they are able. For more complex responses, allow them to dictate their thoughts and feelings for you to record. Your cooperation is deeply appreciated._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Ms. Teletty._

Whatever their reasoning was, Anton's comprehension of the material was astounding. Maybe it shouldn't be, he was living a variation of the issues presented. And his genius uncle had taught him how to read by the time he was three and a half. She frowned. And at a young five he'd already lived more than she had in some ways. Even her own horrific childhood as a ward of the state wasn't as bleak as some of what Anton and Yuuta had seen and lived through.

Opening the book, she found herself rereading the same sentence again and again not really seeing it. If Anton and Yuuta were living this mistreatment, and Mikey and his siblings still endured it... Resting the book, open over the peak of her belly, she placed a protective hand below it. What horrors awaited their children? Could they endure the unfair judgments sure to be placed upon them, and still grow to be good, well-adjusted people? Would they be happy?

Warmed by the sun, with the steady heat soothing some of her many aches, Denim's eyelids began to droop. She vaguely heard her phone buzzing, but her body was heavy, and sleep beckoned. She had to figure everything out. What to do about Antoinette. How to answer some of Anton's trickier questions. Like the _whys_ of narrow-minded adult behaviors. And she had to get off bedrest. Enough was enough. They needed money and for that she had to get back to work... and she would... right... after... a... short... nap...

Mikey opened the door to the sunroom, sagging in relief against the frame. His panic at her disappearance faded to a bad memory. Maybe he should be cheesed off that she'd skipped out without telling anyone, Raph, Leo and even Donnie would be, but he couldn't be mad. Not with her all curled up like an adorable, drowsy kitten in the folding chair. She'd just wanted to come home. He totes got that.

Padding silently up to her, he crouched beside the plastic, lounge seat and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Her eyes snapped open, hands gripping the aluminum armrests hard enough to crushed them like smashed soda pop cans. Uh oh.

"Whoa, easy, Blue Jeans. It's me."

"Oh! Oh, gosh, Mikey!" As Denim startled she sent the open book tumbling to the floor. Heart pounding, she raised a hand to her chest. "I- I hope you weren't worried." She looked around, noting the sun was hanging much lower in the sky. "Darn, what time is it? Gods, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be gone long. And- I just- I'm not sleeping well, and with Antoinette, and the construction, and bedrest is just boring, and oh damn I destroyed this chair." Her brow furrowed as she motioned to the crumpled metal arms. Then, struggling to see the floor beyond her belly, she whined. "And I dropped the book. Do you see it down there?"

He dropped to all fours, casting about until he saw the book, splayed open, pages down, on the ground at the foot of her chair. Grabbing it up, he snapped it shut and frowned at the cover. "Why'd anyone want to kill a mockingbird. I mean, sure they sound kinda jerktastic, but isn't killing 'em an overreaction? Why not just kick some mad burns back their way to show 'em how it's done if they're dogging on you?"

Smiling, Denim shook her head as she flipped through the pages. "It's not actually about killing mockingbirds. The title comes from the local belief that it's a sin to kill a mockingbird because they don't commit a crime. You know, like how Blue Jays steal eggs from other bird's nest. Mockingbirds just sing. The story is actually about prejudice and racism."

Mikey's face scrunched up as he considered her explanation. "But Donnie always said that mocking was riffing on someone with like a mean impersonation or something. If mockingbirds are just rocking singers, it sounds like whoever called them that is the real mocker. Seriously, they can't let just anyone name stuff. It takes mad skills to do it right." About then, the rest of what she'd said seemed to catch his attention. He wrinkled up his beak. "Wait, if everyone agrees that it's totes uncool to kill innocent birds, why does it sound like an instruction manual for doing that?"

Denims smile faded as she looked from the honesty of Michelangelo's eyes to Harper Lee's words. Her throat tightened as she explained. "The story is told through the eyes of a little girl as she learns right from wrong, and that adults aren't always right or just. One of their neighbors is a recluse nicknamed Boo, but over the course of the story Scout and Jem, he's her brother, they end up befriending him. He even saves them at one point. At the end of the story Scout compares Boo to a mockingbird because he was innocent like the bird. He didn't deserve the prejudice he endures throughout the book any more than a mockingbird deserves to die."

Mikey frowned. "Major bummer. He was looking out for the kids, so he was a good guy. Didn't anyone stand up for him? They're supposed to, aren't they? Good guys are supposed to get good endings, right? If not, why read it? Especially if there aren't any pictures."

"It's not all upsetting though." She ran her fingers over the print, chuckling at the main characters many mistakes and mishaps. "Scout's quite the scrapper. Maybe even more than Jem. I like that."

Mikey grinned. "Yeah, she sounds awesomesauce. You know, when Sensei was teaching us, I always thought of myself as the scrappy one. Us scrappers gotta stick together." He gently fist-bumped the spine of the book, before looking earnestly back at Denim. "So, Scout and Jem are the heroes, cuz they know what's right and wrong. They save the day at the end, right?"

Denim closed the book as she contemplated Mikey's question. He still believed good guys always got a happy ending. Kyle hadn't. So, she knew better. But the book, it did have a happy ending. She looked up from the cover to Mikey's perfect blues. Her hero. "The kids aren't exactly the heroes of the story. At least not in my opinion. The real hero is the unlikely one. The reclusive Boo Radley who everyone feared without knowing or understanding. He saved the kids. He did the right thing at risk of his own life. Now the kids could be considered heroes in the sense that they learned to give people a chance before forming an opinion of them."

Mikey's face split into a grin. "Nothing wrong with having lotsa heroes. They make stories fun." He looked back at the book, a tad hesitant. "Is that whole thing really all words though?"

A wistful smile crossed her lips as she nudged Michelangelo on the shoulder. "What do you have against books without pictures, anyway? This one's a classic."

Mikey thought a moment. "I guess it just feels like half the story, you know. Like having your peanut butter, pickle and cheese sandwich without the bread. Plus, stories without pictures take all kinds of forever to read. I can never finish 'em. Comics are more my speed."

Denim, unfazed by his sandwich concoction, glanced down at the book then back to Mikey. "If you're curious about it, I could read it to you."

The suggestion brought up memories of Donnie reading to him and his brothers as kids. He couldn't stop asking questions, while Raph insisted D skip the boring stuff and Leo kept hissing at both of them to be quiet and listen. Happy memories that made him feel all warm and fuzzy in his heart.

But this time he'd have some new and improved company. He loved the sound of Denim's voice and the idea of listening to it. It was his day off. They could cuddle up in bed all snuggled together with several boxes of pizza, a comprehensive collection of candy and every flavor of fizzy soda pop. He could already imagine holding her close as she read and began to feel all warm and fuzzy in other places.

Pulling out his phone, he speed-dialed his mom.

"Mikey, is everything ok?" That answer was a sure sign that there's been too many emergencies lately. He made a mental note to call her for fun more often.

"Yup. Just getting Blue Jeans away from the demolition crew and her royal highness for a while. Alli was havin' so much fun with Anton and Yuuta, could she stay? I promise I'll take the kids on the best day out ever next time I'm off, so you and dad can have some downtime. Please." He put all his irresistible, puppy-dog eyes into his voice as he begged.

Phoenix chuckled. "Sure."

"You're the best, mom. Love you." He cheered.

"Love you too." She replied, hanging up.

He grinned at Denim. "I'll have to run out for provisors..."

"Provisions?" She asked in clarification.

"Yeah, like I said." He bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet. "And then let's do this."

TSOTC

As if on cue, Zoe's eyes popped open, quickly adjusting to the dark of the room. Sly in her every move, she worked an arm free from beneath the bulk of Raphael's, reaching for his phone.

1:45AM.

She pouted. They'd been asleep a whole hour. But there were so many left to go! And she wasn't tired. Checking in with her body, she found it antsy. Eager to explore. She inhaled, beyond the scent of Raph, their mating, and the endless mustiness of old wood that the warehouse seemed to breathe.

There was nothing to chase. No one to play with. Nothing was awry. Unless Aries's newest thorn was game. A frown formed, a sense of foreboding blooming in her chest beneath it. He'd been none too pleased with efforts of protecting him, although he surely needed it. That woman would- Oh! What was that? She slipped from Raph's arms, placing her feet silent to the bedroom floor. Ears perked, eyes scanning, she quickly located the tiny brown beetle crawling toward the door.

Tiny hairs lifted along her arms and neck as she crept forward, tracking the insect. Not in our house. Her muscles coiled and released as she sprang forward, closing her hand over the darkest spot. But as she lifted her hand to peek, the creature was nowhere to be found.

Scowling, she scanned the room again, in time to see it crawl under the door. Stepping into the hall, she spied it making for the stairs. But- what's this?! It wasn't alone! There were- one- two- three- oh this would not do.

Springing forward she effectively squished the first bug with a wet crunch between her palm and the floor. Her blood electrified as she waved her fingers, flinging guts down the steps. Her eyes darted, side to side, sweeping the area. The one on the living room floor was closest. The other by the front door. With a graceful leap she landed with her feet right atop her next victim. Her spine tingled as her heart thumped with joy. She was not to be messed with!

Her gaze shot to the door right as the insect disappeared between the tiny gap in the frame. What? But there was nothing left to hunt!

 _But there will be outside..._ A tiny voice purred.

Leaving the door wide open behind her, Zoe stepped out into a New York City night, naked and on the prowl.

 _Connection established_.

Hun looked up from his phone with a wicked smile. Finally. He'd been wandering the city for what seemed like forever seeking the signal. It still didn't pinpoint where she was, but it didn't matter. She'd come to him now.

He swiped open the app on the seemingly ordinary phone. You'd never guess it was packed with enough security to make the NSA drool. Opening the command link, he typed his order.

 _Lure_.

The pathetic creature beside him shuddered, but would obey, adapting the command to best fit the circumstances. In truth, there wasn't enough left of the thing to resist.

Outwardly it looked normal enough. Just a man, dusky-skinned, dark-haired and eyed, nothing to stand out. Dressed in sneakers, jeans and a plain, black t-shirt, no one would remember or take notice of it.

If only it'd stop that damned twitching, dozens of small, muscular tics revealing that its brain wasn't running on all cylinders.

It'd been intended as her mate originally, designed to near perfect compatibility. Not exactly perfect though as she'd taken it apart when they'd first tried breeding it with her.

The brain damage, beyond repair, had left it a useless heap of quivering flesh. Until now.

Good thing he'd insisted on storing it, rather than scrapping it. Sure, it required a mind control implant to move and function on a basic level, the overrides bypassing the wreckage of its brain, but it worked. And the telepathic connection to her, the one so painstakingly designed to facilitate their pairing, remained intact.

 _Lure succeeded_.

His phone lit up with the message. A shiver ran up his spine. She was coming. It would bring her. And he would prove his value to Battle.

Finally.

Zoe's heart was a flutter, eyes wide as she stalked her latest prey as it fled beneath the Bow Bridge. Outside was everything she needed, enticing smells, endless sounds, and so much to hunt!

She frowned at the water below. Good thing there was endless prey, she wasn't in the mood to get wet during this hunting excursion. Movement in her periphery drew her to the latest unfortunate creature to happen upon her nocturnal prowl. She sniffed, elongating her neck as she pushed through bushes in pursuit. A flash of silver fur caught the light of the nearest lamppost. Yes! This was the biggest rodent yet! Crouching low, her glutes and thighs wound tight as she waited for the perfect moment.

Wait.

Her prey inched deeper beneath a shrub, it's tail and back end peeking out.

Wait.

Zoe's blood ignited, saliva pooling in her mouth as she anticipated the kill.

The animal turned, looking back at her it froze, large round eyes, a long snout, and tiny pink ears atop a narrow head.

Now!

As she pounced the animal flopped to its side, not squirming at all as she grasped it in her claws. It didn't even make a noise. Her energy dwindled. How disappointing, it died before she could kill it. Her head tipped to the side as she batted at the corpse. Just to be sure she should poke it a little more.

Hun crouched at the far end of the bridge, smiling while he watched Zoe prod the unlucky hobo through his night vision binoculars. The test run had been a success. Now for a bigger challenge to put her through her paces.

He straightened, scanning the area, until his gaze fell upon a group of revelers, no older than their early twenties, tumbling out the door of a nearby building.

As nondescript as it's exterior appeared, through the open door poured techno music, smoke and the edges of a laser light show. Like showy birds, they were decked out in their finest clubbing plumage, three women and two men, obviously drunk and leaning on each other for support as their laughter echoed down the street.

Perfect.

Tapping in the coordinates to his app, the creature beside him gave another rippling shudder as he entered the command.

 _Hunt_.

Zoe gave the opossum one last swat before deciding it would never put up the fight she craved.

 _Hunt_. The voice beckoned.

 _Hunt_.

Yes. Maybe it was time to move on to something more... challenging. She perked at the chatter of squirrels, skillfully tuning in to them before making a move in their direction.

Prowling through the brush, she began stalking the five rodents that pulled and tugged on one another. Probably bickering over food. Who knew. She couldn't understand a noise they made. The pheromones wafting off the lot of them, however, indicated they were a polyamorous lot. Maybe it was some sort of weird squirrel mating behavior to tug and lean on one another.

A thrill coursed through her as she stalked them. Five. Now this was a proper hunt. Her lips parted as she let out a faint chitter. She'd go after the biggest male first. The others would be easy to catch if they scattered. Her claws emerged as she moved in, her feet silent over the pavement, nary an audible breath as she came up behind the biggest of the five rodents.

Her blood roared as she slashed across the animal's furry back. Swatting it to the ground, she pounced, slashing the flailing, squeaking creature across the belly. Then, stepping on its body, she leapt into the air, landing right behind the next largest male. Biting its ankles, she maimed the pathetic weeping vermin, already setting sights on the three females cowering together. Not very smart. If they wanted any chance at all they should've scattered.

Zoe stepped forward, toes then heels, each step a deliberate, calculated move. Should they divide she would be faster, efficient and deadly.

Closer.

Closer.

They stilled, cowering together in a terrified ball of fur and shining terrified eyes.

She sprang.

Even in different languages, the multitude of sounds each species made, screams like these, they all sounded the same.

Music to her predator ears.

If it wouldn't have risked giving away his position, Hun would've laughed out loud while watching the violent end of the clubbers. This was fantastic. She was much more compliant in this state than she'd ever been before, even if he did need a roundabout way of controlling her. With this, he'd secure his position in the organization in no time.

Now to get her to lead him back to her lair and give her 'family' the surprise of their lives.

Before he could type another command into his app though, the creature beside him collapsed into a quivering mass. Damn. He'd forgotten how quickly the thing's mental stamina drained. How worthless.

But at least he now knew the area where he could draw her out. Which meant the rest had to be around here somewhere too. He'd keep an eye out for them, learn their patterns and prepare a proper ambush. Yes, when the time came, the looks on their faces would be priceless as their stolen tech tore them to shreds. A prize like that was worth waiting for.

With a confident smile, he hefted the broken hybrid onto his shoulder and strode out into the night.

TSOTC

Raph rolled over, extending his arm to drape across Zoe. Instead of her silky-smooth skin his fingers thumped his son's carapace. "Anton?" His eyes popped open as he sat up, his son rolling to face him.

Antonello rubbed his eyes. "I had a bad dream."

Raph rubbed his face. When would the bad dreams end, if real life kept contributing to them? "Sorry ta hear that. Where's yer mom?"

Anton sat up and thought for a moment. "Dunno." He shrugged. "Maybe she's sleeping in the ceiling again."

Raph internally cringed. Zoe was getting worse by the day. Why hadn't Don called him back with a fix? He frowned. Even Mom's mojo seemed on the blink. Though it managed to help Denim everyday now. What the hell? Rubbing his face, Raph climbed from the bed. "We'd better go look for her." Aries's baby mama would have a conniption if Z was running around naked again.

TSOTC

Someone jostling him, pulled Aries from a sound sleep, waking him with a start. "Wuh?"

As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see Ana sitting up next to him, her arms wrapped around her upper body.

"I'm cold." She whined.

He reached out, pulling her against him until the shivering stopped, wondering why she hadn't just snuggled up to him, until she shoved him back.

"Ahhh, overheating." She was now fanning herself.

He trailed his fingers down the smooth skin of her back, coming fully awake. He had to admit that the sex was mind blowing. Too bad about everything else.

Her skin bumped over with gooseflesh again.

He trailed a hand up her thigh. "I could warm you up."

Her expression soured. "You'll roast me.

Letting out a sigh, he turned away from her, grabbing for the comforter that had fallen to the floor. Again. "The blanket is..."

"No." She pounded the mattress with both fists. "I'll cook under it. Being pregnant makes me super-hot." She complained as she began to shiver.

He rubbed his face. "I'll look for some sheets."

Her lips pursed and she turned away, wrapping her arms around herself. "I was fine until the draft."

He blinked. Draft?

"Someone's opened a door or window and it's throwing off my temperature balance. When will the apartment be done? Sharing sucks." She muttered.

"Faster than any contractor could do it." He grumbled.

She brushed a curtain of blonde hair behind her ear, glaring at him. "Well, what are you waiting for? Find the draft and fix it. Don't you care about us?"

Jaw clenched against the slew of profanity that he knew would only escalate the situation, he rose from the bed and stomped through the mess of construction that had once been his room.

If he were being honest, he enjoyed the work of it. Or would if there weren't constant complaints about the speed at which it was progressing coupled with a never-ending stream of ever-changing demands for what she wanted it to be. That and affording the raw materials was draining his savings like water stored in a sieve. He had no idea how he'd manage to furnish the place once he'd framed it in. Somehow, he suspected that other people's discarded goods weren't going to cut it with Ana. At the rate he was going he'd be broke in no time.

Once in the shared living room, he could feel a breeze flowing through and followed it to the open door. Seriously? What the hell? Weren't they still on high alert or was everyone cramming into the warehouse for a big fun sleepover? Annoyed, he pulled the door shut and barred it.

On his way back to bed, he could hear someone moving about the building, quiet and furtive, as though searching. Maybe someone had broken in.

Picking up a claw hammer from one of his sawhorses, he stalked towards the intruder.

Raph stealthed down the row of bedroom doors, each one closed. He hated to admit it but standing outside them he could account for certain family members by sound of snore, smell, or talking in their sleep. But as he crept by his parent's room a tiny shadow shuffled out, dragging something.

Right as the little figure moved toward him, he noted the main door below drifting on its hinges. His skin pricked. Then, shuffling noises coming from the same location, put him on high alert. He beckoned Alli closer.

Someone was downstairs. Zoe, maybe? But she was usually extreme stealth. His heart dropped. Usually. Not so much lately. Well not the same way, anyhow. He shook his head. He'd get to that in a minute. Alli first. Mate crisis second.

Why was Mikey's kid up? Wait. Was someone, _not_ Zoe down there? He'd better get Alli out of the hall. Just as Raph was about to work on that, Antonello peeked around his carapace. "Whatchya doin up, Alli?"

Raph barely caught himself from whirling on his own kid thinking he was an invader. How'd he manage to sneak up on him like that? A surge of pride flooded his chest. He taught him well. Then the warmth faded to a chill. His own instincts were slipping with all the chaos of Zoe's decline.

Mikey's rumple-haired little girl darted around Raph, to Anton, blanket fluttering along behind her. "I woke up when you left. I thought you was goin potty. But you never came back. We was supposed to be having a sleepover. Member?" The little girl popped her thumb in her mouth and stared expectantly at Anton.

Raph watched as his son rubbed the back of his head and looked at his grandparent's door. "I was coming' back. I just had ta get somethin'."

"Really?" Raph snorted before catching himself. He wasn't about to dive into why Anton wasn't telling Alli the truth about his nightmares. He had enough problems with Zoe and potential intruders at the moment.

Speaking of which. He checked the rafters, his heart sinking as he determined them bare. Then the sinking home of his emotions dipped even lower. Hoping to find her there was all wrong to begin with. But if Zoe wasn't there... where was she? Frowning, he turned for the kids. "Let's get you two-"

Anton's expression suddenly went blank as his gaze lifted to meet Raph's. His son's pupils shrank to vacant pinpricks and Raph almost forgot how to breathe. What now?! Raph caught Anton right as he swayed. "Antonello? Hey? Hey? Answer me!"

Just as Alli let out an eep of fear, a towering distorted shape appeared at the other end of the hall.

Aries crept slowly up the stairs, hammer ready. Until he heard the familiar voices of Anton, Alli and Raph. Lowering the hammer, he sighed in relief. Maybe someone had a nightmare or had to go to the bathroom. It didn't explain the open door though.

He started forward, planning to ask if everyone was ok, when Raph's head snapped in his direction and it occurred to him that he probably should've announced himself.

"Fu..."

Mid-curse, Raph plowed into him, launching himself over Alli to close the distance and causing them both to tumble backwards down the steps.

Aries threw his arm out, catching one of the metal posts of the stair railing with the hammer claw to arrest their fall. The other arm barely made it up in time to block a punch aimed at his throat. Instead his forearm was jarred numb and useless from the impact. "Dammit, Raph. Get off me."

Raph froze, a second punch just shy of connecting with Aries's torso. "Aries? What the shell are you doing?"

"Figuring out who people are before I attack them." He growled back. "What about you?"

Raph shook his head. "I mean why aren't you asleep?"

Aries huffed, shoving Raph aside with his good hand, still holding the hammer. "There was a door open downstairs. When I heard you up here, I thought someone broke in." Seeing Raph's expression in the dim light, he matched the scowl with one of his own. "My hearing you is not a personal offense."

"Anton! Anton!"

Whatever Raph was going to say got cut off by Alli's shrill cries and Raph seemed to vanish from the steps.

"Freaking ninjas." Aries grumbled, climbing to his feet to follow.

Raph turned in time to see Anton crumble to the floor. Darting to his side, Raph opened his mouth to call for his mom. Even now the idea that he could call for her, that he had a mother, nearly gave him pause. "M- "Before he could get her name out Anton blinked, confusion filling his evergreen eyes. "You okay, Buddy?"

Aries watching, nearby, scooped Alli up, giving her a reassuring pat. "Let's get you back to Grandmere, Al."

"No!" She squirmed as she cried. "I won't leave Anton."

"M'fine." Antonello insisted, pushing himself upright as Raph offered him a hand. "But Mom's not." He pointed toward the front door. "It was her that left it open." He set big green eyes on his father. "She's not right, Dad." He pointed to his head. "Up here. She's lost."

As he regained the top of the stairs, Aries saw Raph freeze at Anton's words. Since when was the kid having waking nightmares? Wasn't all that psychic crap supposed to be happening when he was asleep, like bad dreams? Damn. As if things weren't screwed enough already.

Taking Alli's hand, Aries walked over to Anton and Raph, giving his nephew a hefty pat on the shell. "Don't worry. Your dad and I've got this. It's gonna be fine." He really hoped he wasn't lying. "Why don't you do us a big favor and make sure Alli gets back to sleep? Can you do that for us?"

Anton frowned, his gaze shifting back and forth between his uncle and his father. "Y-yeah, I can take Alli I guess. Just don't let them hurt my mom. She don't know what she's doin."

"Let _who_ hurt her?" Aries asked, placing a squirmy Alli's hand in Anton's.

"The bad guys. They know she's broke." Anton allowed Alli to tug him toward their grandparent's room, pausing in the doorway after her. "She's real sick, Dad. If they catch her, the policemen's, they might hurt her an my little sister."

Raph's brow furrowed. "You ain't makin' sense, Antonello. Ya don't got a sister and why would cops hurt yer mom?"

Antonello rolled his eyes as if put out by his dad. "Just, hurry an get Mom."

Without looking back, the young turtle hybrid slipped into his grandparent's room, leaving his Dad scratching his head. "That kid needs ta learn the difference between his dream vision thingy's and daydreams."

Despite Raph's dismissive attitude, Aries was concerned. Not about the mention of a sister. If Raph had another oops baby it would serve him right after being a dick about the whole Ana situation.

But Zoe...sure she'd been off lately, but it still seemed like a safe sort of crazy. They way that Anton had been talking though, he couldn't help envisioning her as she'd been when they rescued her. The image sent a shudder down his spine. As much as he wanted to join Raph in disregarding his son, his gut told him otherwise. The sooner they dealt with this, the better.

Aries started for the stairs. "Let's find her quickly. Acting weird in public isn't going to help us maintain a low profile."

Two hours of hard running over rooftops later and Raph's worry-meter was pressing hard against max panic. What had he been thinking? He leapt from one ledge, landing hard on another. Why hadn't he flipped out from the get go? It's like he was in some half-sleep of denial and fantasy. Only one without any active presence.

Sweat pricked his brow as he launched into the air again. He'd merely dismissed Anton's bizarre wake vision. What was he thinking? Of course, he might be developing the ability to have them awake... ish. The whole thing was weird when it happened. And like a dumbshell crap father he'd just stood there clueless as ever. Damn it Raph, get it together.

He landed hard, stumbling on tired legs. Do something right for once. His blood surged as he checked the alley, finding it empty, before vaulting once more. His head ached and his calves burned, but he had to go on, had to find her before she did something crazy.

Raph made another jarring turn, switching buildings at the intersection and Aries followed, resigned. He'd started out trailing Raph, because Raph was supposed to know where she was. But as the route, ever-widening circles emanating out from the warehouse, began to degrade into erratic, random directions, he'd finally confronted Raph.

 _Aries grabbed Raph's shoulder, spinning him around just before he leapt from the roof ledge. "You just backtracked us through a neighborhood we were in ten minutes ago. Do you even know where you're going?"_

 _Raph's jaw tightened._

 _"I'm running on little enough sleep without you screwing around. You've got that bond or whatever with her. Why aren't you using it?" He yelled before remembering they were trying not to draw attention to themselves."_

 _"I can't." Raph ground out._

 _If it had been arrogance or anger or even that cryptic ninja shit they pulled sometimes, he could've dealt with that. Gotten mad. Picked a fight. A fight would've been really good about now. But Raph looked so miserable and pathetic and... just not his belligerent self._

 _Letting out a slow breath, Aries released his shoulder. "Let's go."_

That had been five blocks ago and Raph was still wild-eyed and directionless.

Too bad he didn't have a better plan. He wished he'd woken Arcos to come with them. Hell, he'd even take Leo at this point, much as it galled him to admit it, if only to himself.

And then a woman's high-pitched shriek pierced the night.

Raph looked at him in momentary panic before taking off after the sound.

It wasn't Zoe, but that wasn't really the concern.

 _Please. Please. Please let her not be attacking people._

They caught up to the screams seconds later, discovering a haggard-looking hooker fleeing down the middle of the street, an impressive feat in those heels.

Heading back up the street in the direction from which she'd come, they started checking the alleys, hitting pay dirt on the second one.

Crouched down, naked and dripping in something dark, she looked up at them, the dim moonlight reflecting in her eyes, cat eyes, and a pigeon's corpse hanging limply from her jaws.

Raph let out a deflating oomph upon finding Zoe so very… cat. The girl he'd fallen in love with was even farther gone than when he'd met her. If that were even possible. He swallowed hard, stomach churning as he recognized the scent of copper. Knew the smell and her, even this bizarre wild animal side of her, well enough to recognize the splatters and smears covering her skin. "Zoe," he croaked.

Her pupils widened into round black orbs as he crept closer before returning to feline slits. Aries hung back without prompt, reminding Raph of his brother's own experience with her.

Not that Raph could ever forget.

Shame flooded him as Anton's words resurfaced. "Little sister." Why hadn't he been more careful with her? Taken care of her, like he should've? Somewhere inside he knew she was fading, slipping away into… this. He should've stayed on Donnie to figure this out, made him move her up on his priority list. And he damn well shouldn't have laid a hand on her until his brother fixed her. Was she pregnant? And messed up like this? Damn.

Her torso rose as she shifted to a squat, her nakedness even more obvious than usual. And she'd been running around naked plenty. Frowning, he reached for the hem of his shirt, tugging it overhead.

"Raph!" Aries yelled as he lost sight of her for the material covering his face.

His ram brother slammed into his side as he pushed by, Raph getting the shirt off his head in time to see him chasing after a snarling, fleeing Zoe, dead bird hanging from her mouth. "Shit."

Aries charged into the street after her. Except that she wasn't there even though he'd just seen her disappear around corner barely a second ago. How?

Some instinct triggered a warning and he spun, but it was too late.

Zoe launched off a store awning to bowl him over.

He barely threw his arms up in time to shield his face, her claws digging painfully through the protective layer of wool. For a moment he was too stunned to move as she licked a smear of blood from the corner of her mouth, the pigeon abandoned in the chase. Her eyes, with their catlike, vertical pupils, were vacant of recognition. This wasn't Zoe. Not the Zoe he knew.

Her claws raked along his forearms, bringing him back to himself. He tried clamping her wrists to flip and pin her against the street, but she vanished like smoke. He rolled to his feet, turning a slow circle as he sought her out.

Without warning, a small, powerful foot plowed into his back. Instead of sprawling forward, he rolled and turned to face her, knowing he couldn't be delicate about defending himself if she seriously intended to attack him.

She stalked towards him and he tensed in preparation, wondering if a weapon would help or escalate the situation. Not that he had one either way.

Then Raph seemed to materialize from the darkness behind Zoe, catching her by surprise.

Not wasting a second, Raph did something he'd never had to do to Zoe before. Something he'd often been grateful he'd never been pushed to. Even in her darkest moments. Only now, this- this level of gone, called for it.

He couldn't let her maul Aries, and he couldn't risk either of them being forced into hurting her if they really were having another baby. Not happening. There was only one thing to do, and knowing her prowess, he'd only get one shot to get it done.

His hands flew toward their targets. One to stun and distract her, the other touching her neck, knocking her out cold. Gathering her limp form in his arms, he tried to ignore the sticky strand of drying blood coating the majority of her. Sure was a lot for a pigeon. He frowned at the feather clinging to her lip.

His head ached as he tried to keep his mind clear. This was Zoe's body, but his Z wasn't home. She looked so peaceful, her eyes closed, the set of her mouth as though she were smiling. His heart sank. Probably dreaming of the damn bird.

This was a disaster.

Struggling as his chest tightened and his throat threatened to close, he cast a glance in Aries direction. "I- I don't- I can't-" It was like a stone was lodged in his airway and his eyes burned like Mikey'd hit him with a smoke pellet. Honestly, he didn't know what to do. How to help her. To fix this. To save her and other people from her. "I think we've gotta leave New York." He ground out. "Until Donnie can fix dis'. Either her or someone else is gonna end up hurt- or worse."

Aries blinked. Leave New York? Did he mean that farmhouse out beyond the middle of nowhere?

He could feel the cuts where she had clawed him stinging. Maybe Raph had a point. Sure, she'd come out chasing mice or whatever, but what if she'd turned on that hooker who'd stumbled across her? Things could've gotten ugly. They'd lucked out tonight. But...

"Can you afford that? You've already missed a lot of work. Loca won't hold your job for you if you never show and your apartment won't pay for itself. Unless the long-term plan is for all of us to permanently hunker down in the warehouse." Please, please no. They'd kill each other if they stayed crammed in together much longer.

Raph's shoulders slumped and Aries cursed internally. As much as Raph's usual swagger made him want to clock the turtle, this hangdog helplessness was even worse. Why did he seem to be the one picking up Raph's pieces lately? And if he was stuck being all touchy-feely comfort, why'd it have to be Raph of all people? Fuck.

The words were out before he knew what he was saying. "I'd help but building a place for Ana has me completely tapped and then some."

Now that he thought about it, none of them had been managing their regular workload. The whole family might be pushing broke at present. That wasn't good.

"We can't afford it. I need more work or better payin' work cos she ain't teachin' yoga like this, an I can't leave her alone. We're gonna be hurtin' fer rent soon." Raph heaved a defeated sigh as he adjusted his unconscious mate. "Let's just get her home an keep this on the DL until we talk ta Don."

Aries nodded. If Leo knew about this, he'd be on them to lock her up for the sake of family security and if there was anything left of the Zoe he knew in there, that would be like dying. She'd spent enough of her life a prisoner.

"I've got no problem keeping Stick-Up-His-Shell on a need-to-know basis. Let's get her home and cleaned up."


	77. Chapter 76

TSOTC

Denim's throat hurt from talking- well reading, for nearly twelve hours straight. Of course, they'd paused for refreshments, of which Mikey had stocked up enough to last them- not a week but at least another day. She snuggled closer to him, tucked neatly under his arm as he played with the rolling bumps of feet and hands pushing up from her belly, as she read. She'd paused often just to catch her breath, but they'd made it. Just a few more lines...

"He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning." She closed the book and waited to see if Mikey had truly been listening, though she suspected he was, from the questions he asked during munchie breaks... but there was also a chance his thoughts had strayed to their two unborn children which he was already playing with.

He pressed his finger against the distinct outline of their daughter's foot, their son's shaped so very different that even now they could tell. A sweet smile played at the edges of Mikey's lips as the foot disappeared then reappeared with a solid kick right where his finger waited. Their little girl's movement made their son squirm as well, inadvertently pressing his shell to Denim's bladder. " _Oh_. Good thing the story is over. I've got to _go_."

She flopped and squirmed to get herself upright, shifting her feet toward the floor as Mikey sat up with a whine. "It's over? There's no more?"

Giggling, Denim managed to get herself in a standing position with Mikey's steadying hands. "Well, snuggling and playing with the babies doesn't have to be over. But To Kill A Mockingbird is." She shuffled toward their bathroom. "We can talk about picking out another book if you enjoyed this one. I did love the quiet time and we won't be getting much of it here soon. But right now, I've got to pee."

As Denim shuffled off to the bathroom, Mikey rolled back onto his shell and grabbed a handful of popcorn and gummy bears from the bowl. Tossing them in his mouth, he considered the night, now nearly morning.

Regular books weren't so bad when Denim read them out loud. Without having to focus on the words, he was free to add mind pictures to fill in the lack of illustration. In that sense, it was like a bunch of comics compiled together.

Of course, he'd improved on the story's descriptions. First, he'd upgraded the setting to the Old West style world of Zalifax, because space cowboys made everything more fun, where the Reptoids and the Amphibitors did not get along. Then he'd reimagined Scout, in defiance of society, as a barbarian warrioress, like a tiny, lady-Crognard, and her brother a swiss army cyborg kid. Visualized in that way, they were his faves. Especially Scout. Maybe it was because she was the narrator, but he'd really related to her during the story. He liked the idea of their kids being brave just like Scout and Jem. Actually...

After a flush, Denim returned with a breath of relief and he sat up, clapping his hands together excitedly. "We should call the babies Jem and Scout. Aren't those the most super-tastic names?" He cranked the puppy dog eyes to max as he pleaded.

Denim stopped mid-step, her mind catching up with Mikey's pleading eyes. He wanted to name the babies? Their babies? A smirk formed at the curve of her lips as she shuffled toward him. Of course, he did.

Scout and Jem. She considered both his selection and the source, a story about racism and prejudice; the very issues they'd faced so many times- Mikey all of his life. And for him to name them, her heart fluttered as she tried the names out on their babies, "Jem and Scout."

Mikey nodded so hard his head might roll off his shoulders.

Jem.

And- Scout.

Their Jem would be a charming little turtle-boy with a big heart and easy-going personality just like his dad.

And Scout, maybe she'd be more like the character in the book, a mischievous firecracker of a little girl.

Smiling, she closed the space between them, reaching for his hand as she sank into the mattress beside him. Tugging his large green fingers along like a blanket, she stretched out along the mattress, until she lay on her side. "Come down, here. I'm not done snuggling with you." She flashed him what would've been her bedroom eyes, if that hadn't been put on hold since Phoenix put her on bedrest. But maybe she could convince him. It'd been three days since the whole scare. Surely, she was better by now.

But Mikey stared back at her, still with his _please-please, I really want this_ , eyes on.

Well she really wanted something too. Him! Denim laughed outright as she beckoned to him. "We can name them Jem and Scout. I think that's a perfect idea, in fact I love it. Now, would you please come down here?"

"Yes!" Mikey arm pumped in victory. "Scout and Jem are totes gonna rock this world."

Then he noticed the look in her eyes, all his mother's admonitions of responsible behavior flying from his head. A playful grin spread across his face as he crawled towards her. Their babies had names and it was time to celebrate.

TSOTC

Karai sauntered down the hallway, sighing internally. Apartment 204. Their actual business address. Who knew her work for the AFE would have her pandering for every poser with a webcam. And that was on top of keeping up all her social media posts. She'd already spent more time than she ever wanted to vlogging to control the spin of April's most recent mess. At least the internet had gotten a start on that for her.

She had to knock several times before a harried, young man in his mid-twenties, in desperate need of sleep if the bags under his eyes were any indication, finally answered the door.

"AFE lady? About time."

It was a testament to her incredible self-control that she didn't punch his teeth out. Instead she contorted her features into a smile. "I'm actually fifteen minutes early.

Tired man shrugged. "AFH dude is already here."

Of course, he was.

Hiding behind a mask of neutrality, she followed him into the apartment, which looked like the dwelling of any collective of college students. The furniture was sturdy, but worn and mismatched. Clothing and old food wrappers littered the space from the obligatory slob that managed to move in with the rest. And the TV, sound system, music selection and general decor was a hodgepodge of several unique preferences and socioeconomic statuses.

The living room looked like a tech bomb had gone off. Everything had been shoved out of the way, save for three chairs, all of which belonged around a kitchen table, positioned with two side by side and one set apart. Microphones and lights on poles were positioned strategically throughout the space to focus on the three chair, centerpiece with a classy backdrop of closed drapes that belonged in the seventies. Three little cameras were affixed to walls and furniture around the room and every other square inch appeared covered in cables and cords all snaking into a battered computer tower which could not possibly have a single free port remaining.

The magic of web shows.

A young woman with orange-highlighted, green hair, molded by immeasurable quantities of styling gel into the shape of soft-serve ice cream, and so much neon-colored make-up that Karai couldn't even guess what she looked like beneath, strode into the room. Sallow flesh, decorated in tattoos of fairies, dragons and multicultural symbols from antiquity, poked out from the edges of her black, lacey dress, goth-chic enough to have come from Horace's shop. Catching site of Karai, she hurried over, day-glow, blue lips stretching into an insincere smile. "Ms. Hamato. You finally made it."

Karai considered pointing out again that she was still early, but let it go. This was not worth the energy or the effort.

"We'll have you here at the end for symmetry." Talon-like, fake nails, colored glow-in-the-dark yellow, gestured towards the outermost of the two-seat cluster before spinning around to berate the tired man whose name turned out to be Clyde.

Karai shook her head and took a seat.

From somewhere deeper in the apartment came a flush. Karai wrinkled her nose in distaste as the smell followed her most common political rival into the the room.

Choppy, black hair, painstakingly styled into a carefree mess, dark eyes and olive skin covered by pre-worn jeans and a t-shirt with a band logo she often saw in Casey's wardrobe, Glen Merchant was carefully crafted to steal the younger and more open-minded demographic from the AFE's cause.

Karai was suddenly glad that, against all common sense for publicly debating politics, she'd gone with her favorites jeans, black boots and her black leather jacket. For once her two-tone hair, piercings and preferred style of make-up would be working in her favor. Now wasn't the time to be too professional.

She didn't like the smug look on Glen's face. After their last public debate, he shouldn't be so confident. Something was up.

With topics of the citizenship of mutant children and mutant-human intermarriage rights, she thought she had the edge. So what wind was filling his sails?

He plopped down into the seat beside her while their punky hostess arranged herself in the remaining chair.

Clyde, typing into a keyboard with one hand, his fingers counted down from three with the other.

As the last finger dropped, the hostess started. "Hello and welcome back to another divisive episode of Divide of the Day with Daytona Hanson. Today it's mutants versus humans over love and babies, particularly who gets to have them with whom." Daytona winked at her audience on the other side of the cameras. "Presenting the AFH's position, we have Glen Merchant up against the AFE's champion, Karai Hamato. It's time to get to the 'heart' of the matter."

Daytona opened her mouth to ask the first question, but Glen interrupted her.

"I think there's something important we need to address first."

Daytona's mouth compressed into a thin line, but she didn't stop him.

"We've been warning people for years now that the base, animalistic nature of mutants would surface, proving the lie of their civilized facade. No one listened and look what happened last night." He pulled put a tablet, opening it up and handing it to Daytona who paled and turned away. "This is what comes of allowing beasts to live among us." He fanned the tablet towards Karai.

Upon seeing the gory collage of images, her eyes widened and she couldn't suppress a gasp before it escaped.

"See? Even the mutant-hugger is shocked." He spun the tablet to show the cameras. "This is what comes of trusting them. The coroner called it a cougar or other large cat attack. In the middle of New York City? I don't think so. But you know what we do have prowling around? Mutants. That's what."

Karai quickly schooled her features, shelving her thoughts and feelings at the back of her mind to slip into her assigned role, a process possible with years of practice and training. "I'm shocked, as any feeling person would be at seeing such a tragedy, not because I'm drawing conclusions about it."

He sneered. "You're really going to argue that this isn't a mutant attack?"

Not without undermining her credibility. She took a breath. "While there are no certainties, especially in such a charged political climate, given the nature of the injuries, it could very well have been done by a mutant."

Glen smirked, sure of his victory. "Even you can't deny the animal-savagery of mutants."

She shook her head. "This isn't animalistic. Generally, animals fight and kill for food, for self-defense, for survival. There's none of that here. The arbitrary violence and cruelty of this attack, without motivation or purpose, is unfortunately very human."

Glenn's eyes narrowed. "How dare you?"

Karai arched a brow. "Are you familiar with any human history, anywhere in the world from ancient past to present. Pointless violence is a recurring theme. If this crime was done by mutants, possible as they are people like anyone else and thus fully capable of being good or evil, it would come from their human nature, not their animal one."

He jumped to his feet. "You slanderous bitch! You'd better watch your mouth."

That'd play in her favor with the viewers. Way to go, Glen, showing off his true colors.

She relaxed into her seat. "Now why don't we return our attention to the issues we really came here to discuss."

Nearly two hours later, Karai exited the building with a quiet sigh of relief. That had been excruciating, but she'd slayed him in their debate. As usual. Even lying through her teeth. As if she wouldn't know Zoe's handiwork when she saw it. There was nothing human or mutant about that.

Pulling out her phone while navigating the pedestrian obstacles to the subway, she called Leo.

"Karai?" He sounded tired, an increasingly common occurrence of late. Unfortunately, it was time to add to that burden.

"We've got a problem."

TSOTC

Leo all but kicked the door to the warehouse open. "Raph!" He'd handed off his class and left the dojo immediately, to the shock of his students, needing to get home as quickly as possible. "Get your shell out here right now!"

As he stomped through the warehouse, the sounds of Aries's hammering quieted and he could sense everyone abandoning what they were doing to come watch the spectacle. Some rational part of his mind cautioned him to handle this privately with his brother, but he was too angry to heed its counsel. This had not only crossed the line but had left the line so far behind that it couldn't be seen anymore.

"Raph!" He was on the stairs now, heading up towards his brother's temporary room. "Come out or I'm coming in if I have to smash your door down."

Raph's teeth ground together at sound of Leo's approaching fury. Zoe merely lifted her head, made a thoroughly put-out expression that her nap was interrupted, and rolled over. His shoulders slumped. Where was Donnie with the cure?

As Leo threatened his bedroom door, Raph's ire grew. What crawled up his shell? Anton looked up from his spot, curled up next to his mother. "He knows Mom's sick."

Raph snorted. "Everybody knows at." Had he found out about the animals? It wasn't that big a deal.

"Raph!" Leo shouted, from right outside the door. Then he began pounding on it.

Zoe's head lifted ever so slowly, pivoting toward the rattling plank of wood, her eyes narrowed feline slits. Right. Things were getting worse.

"Hold yer shell on, I'm comin." Raph waved her off as he stomped toward the door, keeping her in his periphery. Thankfully, her eyes closed as if the dim bedroom lamp burned them, choosing to return to her dreams. Probably of mauling another pigeon.

He opened the bedroom door, Leo's knuckles swiping at dead air. Squaring his shoulders and pulling the door shut behind him, Raph chest bumped his brother, pushing him back so he could enter the hallway. "What's yer problem? Zoe and Anton are sleepin' or tryin' to, an there's others livin' here last time I checked. Some a them might be sleepin' too."

Leo's eyes narrowed. "Don't play innocent. Don't you dare. Do you think for a second that I'd believe you didn't know Zoe got out last night?" He crossed his arms over his chest, meeting Raph's surly posture. "I get wanting to protect her. I've done more than my share of stupid things for Karai. But not THIS. It's a violation of everything we stand for. Everything we are. That you'd compromise your beliefs so much...I can't even..." He trailed off, struggling to find the words through his fury.

"Back off, Leo. This is hard enough without you getting your head stuck up your shell." Aries yelled from the bottom of the steps. "We got her back, didn't we?"

Leo turned to glare at Aries. "You knew too? You were in on this? As much of an ass as you can be, I thought you were better than that." He bit out, shaking his head in disgust.

"Don' be callin' him an ass when yer that one actin' like one." Raph glared at his brother. "Calm the shell down an start makin' some sense. Cos' first of all, Z ain't on lock down. She's just sick an' Donnie's gonna fix her. An yeah, she musta had an episode an went out without me, but I hardly think I'm compromisin' my morals over a bird."

" _Bird_? Bird!" Leo yelled, incredulous. "Does that look like a bird to you?" He held up his phone, displaying the image Karai had forwarded, and shoved it towards Raph's face.

Raph's eyes widened in disbelief and Leo realized, to his relief and horror, that Raph hadn't known. Hadn't covered up the deaths of four innocent people. Hadn't been connected enough to Zoe to sense her departure or even have an inkling of what she'd done. If Raph couldn't rein her in as he'd always done before, they were in trouble.

Raph's lungs deflated, his stomach folding into a hard knot. He wanted to deny it, say it couldn't be, that Zoe wasn't like that anymore. And while she'd always been a lethal weapon it was never in this capacity. Before, sure she had control issues but they were only toward those threatening her harm. This- _this_ was feral.

But as he looked at the nightmare image, the tell-tale ribbons of flesh and gore. He swallowed hard, then pushing the phone toward Leo he stared at his closed bedroom door. "It's-she's never been this sick before. I- I can't feel her." His throat grew thick, his voice low. "We need Don here with a fix like yesterday."

"Shit." Aries cursed as he snatched the phone from Leo's hand to get a better look at the picture.

Leo barely noticed as his mind worked furiously to process what his brother had said. Raph couldn't feel Zoe? But how was that possible? Was Zoe still Zoe then?

He said she was sick. That Donnie was supposed to be helping. Yes. They needed Donnie. He'd be able to tell them what was going on.

"Hey!" Aries protested as Leo snatched his phone back and called Donnie. Straight to voicemail. Biting back his irritation, he called April.

She answered on the third ring. "Leo, what's going on? Shouldn't you be teaching a class right now?"

"I called in a sub. Don's not answering his phone and I need to talk to him. Immediately." Leo explained as succinctly as possible.

April's tone softened. "He's been holed up in his lab like a hermit since the results of some analysis he ran came in. I've got something important to talk to him about too."

"This won't keep. Get him on the phone if you have to bust the door in to do it." Leo commanded.

She chuckled. "It won't come to that. I know the access code. Hold your horses."

Tense seconds ticked by. And then Don's tired voice came on the line. "Leo, whatever hysterics are going on, I don't have time for it. So, unless someone is actively dying, that _can't_ be saved by mom..."

"Someone has already died." Leo interrupted as he put the phone on speaker. "Four someones."

"What? Who?" Donnie sputtered.

"We aren't sure. The authorities haven't released that information yet." Leo admitted.

Donnie sighed. "That's terrible and we should look into it, but right now, I really need to..."

"Zoe killed them." Leo interrupted again. "She got out last night and attacked them before Raph could bring her back. He says she's sick. We need you to come over here now and figure out what's going on with her."

For a moment, there was silence. Then Donnie finally answered. "That's what I've been trying to do for the last few days. All I've been trying to do."

Leo blinked in surprise. "What? We've known this was a problem that long and no one thought to mention it to me?" His voice took on a dangerous edge. Why didn't anyone ever tell him anything?

"W-w-well, it was just some odd habits at first." Donnie stuttered out. "Once I realized what was happening, I dropped everything to work on it as time is a significant factor."

"What exactly is going on and what happens when we run out of time?" Leo ground out, willing his hand to relax around his phone lest he break it.

"Simply put, she's transitioning from humanoid to cat, cell by cell." Donnie explained, matter-of-factly.

"She's what?" Leo asked icily. "How the shell is that happening?"

He immediately regretted it as the question triggered Donnie's explanation mode.

"The EDF must have initiated the process during her recent captivity. As far as I can tell, it's nanotech designed to operate like a virus, infecting cells with new strands of DNA to overwrite their original versions. The new cells operate as normal with a subroutine to produce more organic versions of the viruses. It's slower than actual diseases that turn the cell into a useless virus factory, but also doesn't destroy the cell, so it never stops producing. Thus, it's relentless despite the efforts of her immune system, which doesn't even register the factory cells as a problem. And the whole system operates in layers. Each iteration of viruses producing DNA that is slightly more feline than the last. Each round of alterations is gradual..."

"Enough." Leo commanded. "We'll stick with 'she's slowly turning into a cat' for now. Is that why she killed those people?"

"Actually, it shouldn't be." Donnie admitted, sounding puzzled. "She's well fed enough that she shouldn't be hungry and while some large cats, like lions and leopards, have been observed engaging in surplus killing, barring a few notable exceptions, humans are just not their preferred prey. It really doesn't make a lot of sense, unless there's some element at work that I haven't identified yet."

Before Leo could ask anything else, Raph seemed to have found his voice again, grabbing the phone and yelling. "When can ya fix her back to normal?"

"I-I don't know if I can." Donnie stuttered. "Or if it's reversible, to what extent. Right now, I'm just trying to figure out how to stop it before it does more damage. The longer this cascades through her system, the worse she'll be and the less likely I'll be able to undo it, assuming I even can."

Raph didn't know what to do. His hands opened and closed, helpless with no way of fighting whatever was destroying Zoe from the inside. One thing he did know was Leo wasn't lockin' her up. He exchanged a knowing glance with Aries before squaring his shoulders and standing as tall as he could. "I'll take her to the Hampton's house but ya ain't lockin' her up. She cain't help it and I'm stickin' by her no matter what." His chin tilted toward the phone. "How long's she got, D?"

"Well, the process accelerates as it progresses..." Donnie started.

"How long?" Raph repeated before he could ramble on.

"Three, maybe four months for a complete transform." Don estimated.

Leo jumped in. "Thanks, Donnie. Keep us updated."

"I'll make sure the updates get passed along. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help." April assured them.

"We will." Leo responded before ending the call.

"We ain't lockin' her up." Raph repeated.

"As if we have anything that could reliably contain her." Leo muttered, shaking his head.

"The Hamptons..." Raph started.

But Leo held up a hand, finishing for him. "...neighbors are few and far between, but still there. And you can't sense or track her."

"So, what do you suggest we do, Fearless?" Raph glowered at him.

Leo thought a moment. "Don's got his hands full, so we can't ask him." Then he turned to Aries. "Can you and April cobble something together. We need to be able to track her if she gets out and have a perimeter alarm alerting us when she crosses the boundary? Preferably in a way that won't startle her into refusing to wear it."

Aries chewed on his lip, considering. "Yeah. It'll take a couple of days, though."

Leo nodded. "Then the rest of us watch her, round the clock, in shifts, until it's ready."

Raph scowled. "And you think she's gonna keep a tracker on. She don't even wear clothes anymore."

Leo raised an eye-ridge. "You know her best. When Aries tells you how small he can get it, you figure out something that size that she'll keep on."

Raph's mouth twisted, but he didn't argue.

"Once it's tested and we know it works, Raph will take her to the Hamptons. He's right. There's less risk of collateral damage there. Hopefully it won't be too long until Don's got something."

"And what about the people she killed?" Aries asked pointedly.

Leo frowned. "I don't blame Zoe. If I stab someone, it's my fault, not my sword's. As far as I'm concerned, the EDF are responsible for turning her into this. Once we've got ourselves straightened out, we _will_ deal with them. I'm done hiding, waiting for the next attack."

TSOTC

Steam was still rolling off Leo's shoulders as he left the shower. As he toweled off he couldn't stop seeing those poor innocent people. His stomach was upset, that twisting churning feeling he got when things turned gory. Yet he couldn't help feeling bad for his sister either. This really wasn't Zoe's fault and the EDF would pay. Enough was enough.

A knock on the bathroom door startled him which immediately dissolved his nausea replacing it with frustration. The door opened and his hand flew out reflexively to stop it. "Occupied."

"I know. I was counting on it." Karai's voice held that silken edge to it that still did something to his heart strands. There were never words to describe the dipping, shiver and flop. He should be long past these childish responses by now, and she certainly shouldn't have been able to surprise him. He sighed heavily, allowing the door to open.

"Mhm." Karai's golden eyes were appraising him from the top of his head down to his three green toes.

"Satisfied that all of me is here?" He hung the towel up on the rack, aware that she was watching his muscles bunch and stretch as he moved. A smirk played at the edges of his mouth, despite their current predicament. Slowly, he turned toward her, slipping one hand behind her back as he guided her against the sink. "You usually look me over after a battle, not a talk with Raph."

"You sure about that or are you just now noticing?" She ran her fingers along his throat and his heart picked up a familiar upbeat. "I'm checking you for injuries, but I'm not seeing any. Where no punches thrown when you informed him he'd have to lock Zoe up?"

He swallowed as much to calm his racing pulse as to clear his throat. "Actually, we're not locking her up. Aries and April are creating a tracker and Donnie is hard at work on a cure."

Karai didn't seem surprised, which caught his attention yet again.

"If you knew, why'd you ask?" His lips began to burn as she leaned in, her breath ghosting his cheek.

"Everyone in this family has a soft spot for the hybrid. Including me. But I bet even money it was just as much about what Raph wants for her as much as anything. He's a mess without her."

Leo's skin throbbed as her energy radiated into him, his voice coming out ragged for his quickened breaths. "I go crazy without you."

Karai snickered. "I guess we all have our weaknesses." Then just as quick as she'd turned him on she hooked a finger under his jaw. "So, earlier on the phone you said we needed to talk. What about?"

Pain shot through Leo's face so fast and hard it took him a second to gather his senses and counter her attack, swiping her hand away and gathering her wrists in one hand. "Ow! You could just ask, you don't have to hurt me."

Her weight shifted as she went into a counter move. Great, a sparring match in the tiniest bathroom in New York.

"It's some emotional crap. I just know it." She complained, striking and blocking as she tried to work him toward the shower.

"How do you know? All I said is we should talk!" He exclaimed as they bumped into the counter, knocking everything on the floor. Not wanting to actually hurt her, even as his shell banged against the door, he grabbed the towel and whipped it around her wrists binding them in a knot.

"I can tell by that sentimental voice you use when you want to talk about our relationship. But everything is fine so let's not." Lifting her bound arms overhead she hooked the space between her wrists around his head, lifted a foot to his chest and thrust her weight forward sending them both toppling into the tub. Leo sat open-mouthed, reeling as he tried to figure out when they'd ever have a simple talk. Then his dark kunoichi kissed him hard on the mouth. "I prefer to handle things our way. _This_ way."

When he didn't kiss her back her closed eyes opened, darkening to shades of mahogany, a scowl firming. "It's that serious?" She demanded.

He peered into her, this beautiful complicated woman who'd bewitched him in ways he both loathed and adored. How they pushed and pulled one another. Suffered together and rose above it all again and again. "I love you and I want our family to grow. I want to start trying again."

Her eyes widened, her weight shifting then lifting off him. Expertly she brought her bound wrists to her teeth, working out the knot. "No. There's plenty of growing going on out there." She motioned toward the door. Her voice dropped to a whisper, but he heard. Had heard it before. "Never again."

He reached for her but she blocked him. "Karai..."

It was when she clamped her eyes shut and trapped her lip between her teeth. He knew. She wanted this as badly as he did. But there were no guarantees and maybe she couldn't take the hurt anymore. It was after all her body. He was merely a helpless observer, trying in vain to comfort her through both of their losses.

Still he couldn't help what his heart wanted and what his intuition assured him was meant to be.

TSOTC

Sappho shifted her wig, an unruly mane of black, textured curls yet again, wondering whether the advice Horace had given was sound. After Arcos had shot down all red and blonde wigs without explanation and pointed out that blue, green purple and anything in neon might stand out and make landing a job difficult, she'd demurred to Horace's wisdom. He assured her he'd find one that could pass as her natural hair.

Something shorter would be more manageable. But also, more recognizable. Maybe he was right, inconvenient as it was. The hair and glasses with non-corrective lenses should be enough to make it difficult to identify her. Not that anyone looked too closely at their cashier.

The grocery store manager, Dean, a middle-aged man fond of button-up shirts and crew cuts, turned out to be the exception. "Try to be a little friendlier. Maybe smile once in a while."

She tried it, though it didn't come naturally without Arcos around.

Dean flinched back. "Then again, never mind. Just try not to be so harsh."

She frowned. "There is no subjectivity in math and we don't accept expired coupons."

Dean nodded. "Yes, that's true and you should say so. But, tell them kindly."

Her shoulders slumped as she returned to her register. This was not as easy as she thought it'd be.

A pair of elderly woman approached and, before she'd even finished scanning their goods, began bickering over whether it was better for the planet to choose paper or plastic bags.

Truthful and kind. She could do this. Forcing her face into a smile, she arbitrated. "Plastic is nonrecyclable and kills many oceanic fish and birds annually while paper contributes to devasting, global deforestation. A responsible shopper should bring their own reusable bags."

The women were staring at her, aghast. That wasn't the right reaction. What had gone wrong?

Dean cleared his throat behind her. "I don't think this is working out."

TSOTC

Connie was not in the mood for Denim's blatant disregard for her own health as she stomped up the steps to Allison's school. The nerve of that girl. Calling her after the way they'd left things. And she's sounded just awful. _Awful_. She shouldn't be working when she was dying. Ridiculous. Absolutely preposterous.

Then- and _then_ \- to ask her to back up that _mutant_ and pick up Alli from school. Like _he_ could possibly be held over at work! Who wanted a _mutant_ delivering their food? And to risk her life to have- those- those _things_ with him.

Denim had lost her mind. Lost it. Connie hesitated as she reached for the front door handle, her shoulders slumping in blatant defeat. She really had sounded- _off_ \- out of breath and gasping as she'd talked. She was almost full term. Her life nearly over. Connie's heart clenched. She couldn't bear to lose another child. But what could she do?

Focus on Alli.

Be there for her. Make the transition as gradual as possible. In fact, she should start taking her more so she'd get used to living with her. Lifting her chin and squaring her shoulders, Connie opened the door and headed for the office, her feet slowing at sight of Allison holding tight to that mutant's hand. What was _he_ doing there? She snorted as she approached them just leaving the office.

The turtle-man smiled at her, but not the way he did when he looked at Denim or Allison. This must be his fake smile. She waddled right up to him. "Well I just knew you wouldn't get held up. No one wants a dirty, selfish _thing_ like you delivering their food. But since I'm here." She sighed heavily, waving her hands to demonstrate the inconvenience. "I _guess_ I can take Allison home with me. I'm sure you want to get home to do whatever bestiality nonsense goes on between you and my fading daughter." She rolled her eyes, not really looking at Michelangelo, instead fixing her gaze on Alli. "I mean who knows what those _things_ are that your Mommy is carrying. If they've even got all the body parts to survive in this world. And what are they really? Abominations. Not human- not- _mutant_." She spit out the word like she'd eaten something bitter.

A few parents shuffled by them in an effort to get in the office, giving the off trio a variety of looks from pride of Connie's endless insults, to horror and embarrassment. Several covered their children's ears and downright changed direction. But, Connie, still ignoring Mikey, reached for Alli's hand. "Come on then."

But Alli wouldn't let go, still clinging to the unmoving turtle. "Nana, that's not nice. All that's stuffs you'd said about my baby brother and sister. They're going to be good babies. Happy like Daddy. You'll see." She tugged on a still-silent Michelangelo's arm. "She'll see. Won't she, Daddy?"

Having recently gotten into the habit of yelling 'la la la, not listening' inside his head whenever Connie spoke, he missed most of what she said, realizing belatedly from everyone else's reactions that he should've covered Alli's ears too. He'd been moving to do just that when her question caused him to convert the motion into a hug. "Of course, Alli-bird. You saw them on your Uncle D's ultragram. How could anyone not love 'em? Gramster will come around."

He looked back at Connie. "Woody had my shell, so I could get here." By that me meant, Woody would make excuses for him until he got back and that he'd set land records for fastest pizza delivery. Three minutes or less, oh yeah. Although Leo would flip his shell if anyone videoed him leaping from rooftop to rooftop and running across traffic light cables.

"Thanks for the back-up, but I got it covered." They'd head back to the parlor so that Alli could catch some dinner while he and Blue Jeans finished their shift and then they could all go home together. He scooped Alli up in one arm and gave Connie a thumbs-up with the other.

Alli waved goodbye to her Grandma as Daddy carried her out of school and down the steps. For some reason Grandma just stood there with a sour look on her face, like she'd sucked a lemon. Oooo, sucking on lemons was super fun. Her lips scrunched up on one side as she recalled the tang she often felt in her jaw right before the juice hit her throat. Good fun doing that with Anton an' Yuuta.

Maybe Grandma wasn't feeling good though. She'd said some really not nice things. Not that they bothered Daddy. Not listening was an awesome super power when you could hear everything just as quick. And that meant everything. Almost the way he could smell food before it had a smell. How'd he do that?

She wiggled around in his arms, tugging on the thick part near his shoulder. Not missing a step as they went along, he shifted her onto his shoulders giving her a great lookout spot. From up here she looked back to see Grandma staring at them, a fading dot at the top of the steps, growing farther and farther away.

Grandma should really try smiling more. It felt good. Laughing was even better. And hugs were the absolute best. She leaned down, wrapping her arms around her Dad's neck. It made her sad that her Grandma was so mean to him, and she'd said horrible things about the babies. She didn't understand all of it though. Maybe Daddy could explain. He'd done a great job telling her how the babies got in mommy's belly. Tapping him on the cheek she asked, "Daddy, what's bee-sting-all-it-eee?"

Mikey stumbled, but caught himself. What? What had Gramster been saying? At Alli's school? Granted, he didn't actually know what it meant, but he'd heard it enough and almost always in people's mean voices, so he'd never wanted to know. But he had to tell Alli something.

He pulled out his phone and looked it up, careful to tilt his phone so Alli couldn't see the screen. Ugh. Really? Why was there even a word for that? He couldn't tell Alli that.

"Daddy?" She rapped the top of his head.

"It's not a nice word." He answered, hoping that would be enough.

"But what does it _mean_?" She insisted.

He sighed. "It means Gramster wishes your mom fell in love with a human instead of me."

Alli's face fell. "What? But you're the bestest Daddy ever."

Mikey was quiet a minute, then squeezed her foot. "Thanks, Alli-Bird."

Sensing he was still bummed, Alli thought hard about that blurry time before Mikey came into their lives. It was hard to remember a lot, but some things, peoples faces, those she could remember. "You knows I was real littles when Mommy fell in loves with you. An she was always real sad before." Alli wrapped her arms around Mikey's head, squeezing as tight as she could in hopes he knew how much she loved him. "You makes Mommy laugh and smile, when she used to cry. A lot. I know I'm not too big, but I see stuff. I know when Mommy's sad." She kissed his cheek. "Grandmas always been mad and Mommy was always sad." Alli tapped him on the head as she straightened. "An now she's super happy and I've got a Daddy and I'm super happy too. Grandmas just got to learn to be nice. Right?"

Mikey grinned. "Don't worry, Alli-bird. I'll win her over eventually. Now let's get you some pizza."

TSOTC

Horace taped up another box and slapped on a shipping label. If not for his online sales, he'd be sunk. No one, not even his regulars, came into the shop anymore. Though quite a few contacted him for things. Given the circumstances, personally delivering products to his most loyal was the least he could do.

Even with the doors closed, he could still hear the occasional chanting though he did his best to block it out. He was fairly certain the horde picketing in front of his store need some kind of official permission to block the sidewalk and sometimes the street but calling the police hadn't accomplished much and he'd even recognized one off-duty officer joining the crowd.

Suddenly furious at them, he made an impulsive decision.

Weeks earlier, he'd commissioned a friend to make a beautiful, gothic shirt, fitted to Medusa's measurements, as a six-month anniversary gift. The finished product, wrapped up and ready to give, had turned out so spectacular that he'd added clothing customization for mutants to his website. Carrie made the adjustments to his garments for an added fee and they split the profits. Enough orders had come in, that they'd been discussing starting a side business, customizing more mainstream clothing for mutants.

Although it was wholly pointless as no one but the protesters ever saw the front of his shop anymore, he pulled out a sharpie and some paper, writing 'custom clothing for mutants available' on it. Giving the crowd a smug grin, he taped up on the door.

They weren't going to intimidate him.

TSOTC

It was grocery shopping. Zoe hated it, but it had to be done and it was her turn. It was what it was. And since Anton was staying after school for his writing club-thing, she had time to get it done while Raph was sleeping. He had to work tonight. She checked the list, then tossed a head of lettuce in the cart. He'd been all weirded out when she'd told him she was going, and she was about over him at the moment.

" _Aries said he'd go. He wants to teach his girlfriend how ta shop fer food." Raph wasn't looking at her as he stomped toward the bedroom door. The shell-in-her-face paired with the way he was opening and closing his fist, was a sure sign something was up._

" _It's grocery shopping, Raphael. Who the hell doesn't know how to go the store." Zoe snapped, tugging on her shoe._

 _Raph snorted. "You, when we met. Ya still ain't that good at it. Who the shell cain't tell the difference between a cabbage and a head of lettuce?"_

" _Grrr, they look the same! The same!" She tied her shoe, tight, straightened herself then marched right up to him. Her fingers hadn't closed over his forearm before he'd spun around, catching her in an arm lock. "What the hell, Raphael?"_

" _Just stay here. Aries's got the shoppin'. An ya look tired, lay down wit' me instead, kay?" There was something off in his eyes, his irises trembling a bit. He wasn't telling her everything. She was sure of it._

" _I'm a grown ass woman and I can go to the damn grocery when it's my turn." She brought her arm down over his, lashing his bridge with a sidestrike._

 _He flinched, his nostrils flaring, but he didn't release her. "Let it go, Z. Ya hate shoppin' anyways. Take the out."_

 _Her heart steeled in raw defiance. She'd always hated it when he'd tried to tell her what to do. Some things never changed. "No." Raphael's growl didn't scare her. Not one bit. She lifted her chin, tilting back her head to look up at him. "You can let go now. I'll be a good little pussy and do as I'm told."_

 _His lip curled. "Don' be like that."_

 _Her eyebrows lifted and dropped, her gaze falling to his hold on her. "Well, if you feel that strongly about it, maybe you can tell me what's really going on."_

 _At this his grip loosened, fingers parting, he stepped back. "I can't, yet. Don' know how ta' explain it. But it'll be okay. I just need ya ta hang out here until it gets sorted. I'll pick Anton up from his school thing. You get some sleep."_

 _Zoe's eyes narrowed. She resented him keeping anything from her. Even more the fact that she couldn't tap into her empath abilities or her connection with him to read him. Maybe that's what he was talking about. Part of her wasn't working right. Yeah, she definitely didn't want to talk about that, not with everything else going on. Her ram brother dating a snobby, spoiled brat of a woman and Denim trying to work when she was about to explode. She hadn't seen Medusa in a week. Was she living with Horace now? And what was up Leo's shell? He'd been giving her the silent treatment and the stink-eye for days. And where the hell had Donnie and April disappeared to? Arcos was helping Sappho in her transition… something Zoe should probably step up to help with. But why hadn't she? Ugh, she was really slacking lately. Oh gods. When was the last time she'd taught a class? Heart racing, her stomach lurched. Covering her mouth, Zoe ducked under Raph's arm and bee-lined it for the bathroom._

 _Shaking and pinpricked in sweat, she sank back against the wall, her throat burning with stomach acid. Maybe she was sicker than anyone was letting on? She was losing time. She knew where things started but when she revisited them things were different like she'd missed a moment._

 _Maybe she would take that nap with Raph after all._

Of course, she hadn't slept an hour before waking up. There was no one to be found anywhere in the warehouse, except for Raph who was still asleep in their bed where she left him.

She checked the list, strolled down the first aid aisle and began loading up the cart. They really should order this stuff wholesale, they could even have it delivered. What had Leo said about blending in? Wiping out the first aid aisle didn't appear normal. Why'd they need this stuff anyway when they had Mom? She checked the next item on her list, looked up for the aisle sign, then looked at the list again. Wait. Does that say- _Oh_. But _who_? Everyone knows Denim is. Everyone knows that Ana chick is…. Who else is there?

She studied the sloppy handprint. One of the boys wrote this. Her pupils widened as she realized which one. Zoe was about to reach for her phone when she remembered she couldn't call Raphael. She wasn't supposed to have left the warehouse. Maybe it was for Karai or April. But why would Raph write it? Maybe Leo or Donnie told him- No. Donnie would've just ran out for a test himself. Ugh. _Why can't I remember?_

Resigning herself to follow the list and ask questions when she got home, she was about to drop a test in the cart when a tiny pink super-ball bounced down the aisle, a little girl scampering after it. Zoe's eyes widened as the aisle faded to the background, the beautiful, round buoyant ball springing up and down, right by her, making her pulse quicken. The ball went up, then down, then up higher, right out the store entry. The little girl chasing it disappeared, captured by her parent. But Zoe had no one holding her back. A little chirp bloomed in her throat as she set off in pursuit.

TSOTC

Mikey was heading home, Alli bobbing on his shoulders. He wasn't too keen on Denim staying, but when the opportunity to take another shift came up, she hadn't hesitated. He wanted to stay and wait until she was done, but she'd insisted they go and Alli was getting bored and antsy. Maybe, instead of going straight home, he'd take her to a playground nearby, so he'd be around, just in case Blue Jeans needed him.

Recent deliveries had allowed him to map out in his head where all the local playgrounds were. He turned to cut through an alley to the nearest park. They were almost through, when he heard a faint mewling sound, coming from the dumpster. He paused, straining his ears to listen.

"What is it, Daddy?" Alli asked.

"Dunno." He lifted her off his shoulders and set her down. "Wait here a sec, okay?"

She nodded and he padded over to the dumpster, carefully lifting the lid and looking in. His eyes widened and he gasped. "Oh, wow."

TSOTC

Ana eyed the pile of dirty dishes beside the sink, turning her pretty, pink nose up at the smell. Sure, she'd been told to wash them hours ago, but she hadn't realized that had been a serious request. It sounded like a joke. _Her_ wash dishes? As if. Even if they did take turns, those turns should rotate among the plebs.

But Aries's family didn't seem to understand a thing about class, so here she was. A princess in a delicate condition, reduced to drudgery.

Wrinkling her nose, she picked up a plate, dried food residue crusted all over it. Holding it away from her, edge pinched between her thumb and forefinger, she swished it under the running faucet and tossed it haphazardly into the dry rack. It didn't look any less dirty but, as far as she was concerned, that problem belonged to whoever had dish duty next. She reached for another plate.

"That's not clean, Ana," Phoenix's voice drifted from behind her. "You have to actually scrub it and get the food off." Her voice was patient as she came to stand beside the younger woman. She took the rag from the far side of the sink and held it up for Ana to take. "You use this."

Ana gagged. "Eww. You can't be serious. That's disgusting. Who would want to touch that. Besides," she flipped her hair over her shoulder with a flick of her head, "what if I get my hands wet? My skin is very delicate. That will dry me out and maybe even cause calluses. I need to use special moisturizing soap when washing any of my skin and apply creams made from natural oils to lock in that moisture. It would be criminal to ruin such flawless skin." She held up her hands so that Phoenix might better see how exquisite they were.

Phoenix raised her own hands, no longer tight skinned with youth, and laced with small scars. She lifted a knife from the dish water, and slowly cut her palm, her face placid. The cut began to bloom red with blood, and Ana opened her eyes wide. Then, slowly, the cut began to heal, closing until there was not even a scar left. The older woman dipped her hand in the water again, showing a clean, whole palm. "I think I can handle any callouses you might pick up," she said, her voice dangerous. "But," she changed the tone, walking to the fridge. She opened it, "You can always slather your hands in this to protect them." She took out a jar of bacon lard.

Ana recoiled. "Ugh. Vile. You're joking right?" Then the demonstration sunk in, bringing her out of her impulsive reaction. "Wait a minute, if you can magically heal yourself," she'd set aside the many ways that conflicted with reality as she knew it in favor of its applications to benefit her, "then why haven't you used it to make yourself young and beautiful? Why be a craggy, old crone if you don't have to?"

Phoenix took a deep breath, her vanity stung. Well she was well aware that her looks and her youth were fading, she was still sensitive about the subject. For one who was young and beautiful once, age is not a good friend.

She considered her answer, her mind going through a series of them just as hurtful as the callous question. Looking Anna in the eye, Silent for a few moments, she was able to get a hold of herself. "I do not make myself young and beautiful again," she said, "because if I did I would be too noticeable. When I was young I was very beautiful. And being noticeable is the last thing that I want in this life." She pointed downward at the floor of the warehouse. "Being noticed here, brings more hardship than we already have. In case you hadn't noticed, she gestured to the warehouse floor about them, "this is not an easy life."

Ana stuck her lower lip out, pouting. "I like standing out and I don't want to live a hard life. I want to enjoy my life. If you've got an out, why don't you take it and escape? There's plenty of wealthy men out there who enjoy pampering beautiful women." She pointed out with a conspiratorial wink.

The older woman walked next to Ana, taking her hands and guiding them to the sink. The girl didn't get it. The pregnancy hadn't been a shattering experience for her, hadn't changed her worldview. Had Phoebe been the same way, all those years ago? Would Stephane and his friends have thought what she was thinking about this young woman right now? "I lived that kind of life, Antoinette. In fact, I was older than you are now the first time I washed a dish."

Ana sighed in relief. "Then you know. You get it. I had such a sweet set up too, until this happened to me." She gestured to her belly. "Usually, I make sure I've got a new guy lined up and ready to go before I move on, but he dropped me so abruptly when he found out about the sheep-baby, there was no time. And landing a new one requires a certain amount of upkeep, unavailable to a destitute hobo even without having to correct my situation and recover my body. It definitely put me in a tight spot."

Ana rambled on, heedless of Phoenix's tightening expression. "And I can't go home. Well, I could, I'm always welcome, but after leaving for better things it would be too humiliating to crawl back now. The best I can do is keep the baby, so Aries will take care of me. And now, I'm stuck in... _this_." She waved her hands at the warehouse around them, looking crestfallen. "What a mess. So how did you lose your good life and end up here?" Ana asked eagerly, looking for some commiseration.

Phoenix reined in her anger, sucking her lips into her mouth to keep from saying something nasty. "I married a black man," she said deadpan. Let that sink in to the spoiled brat.

Ana blinked in shock. "You lost everything by getting...married? That's the opposite of how it's supposed to work."

The only way that even made sense was if she'd been lucky enough to be born into wealth and disowned. Probably some bigoted, old-money people. And all she had to do to keep it was play by the rules. How had she screwed that up?

Ana's eyes lit up as the answer came to her. "Oh, he accidentally knocked you up and that's how you got caught, right? Still, you didn't need to marry the guy. How limiting. Marriage should be reserved for rich guys who are too stupid to demand a prenup."

Phoenix took a deep breath, her patience having obviously run out. She reached out, took Ana's hands in her own, leaning forward, her brows drawn together. "No," she said forcefully. "He didn't knock me up. I married him because I loved him, I got pregnant with my first child two years later. My parents cut me off because they didn't _like_ him. Then, about four years after that, I got kidnapped by aliens, yeah, those ones that took over NYC a few years back, and they did experiments on me, where they cut me open, left scars all over my body, and where I barely escaped, carrying five baby mutants, where I survived, alone, for eight years before I met another soul." Ana tried to pull her hands from Phoenix's tightening grip, but the older woman was stronger than she looked. "Now, that I have a man whom I love and who loves me, I _can't_ marry him, because it's illegal. So that's something you don't have to worry about, Antoinette. You'll always only be shacking up with your baby daddy, because even if he wanted to marry you, which he would if he were allowed, because he's a good man, he can't. So, get used to the hard life, toots." She plunged Ana's hands in the water. "Because no rich man is gonna wanna raise some half-mutant kid."

Before Ana could respond, Phoenix's phone rang. With still wet hands, the put it to her hear, "What?" she asked harshly. Her eyes went wide and her mouth set in a resolute line. "No, no, don't move him!" she said, walking away. "Press down on the wound to try to get it to stop bleeding...No...I'll be there as soon as I can...yes...I'll be there soon...I promise." She hung up, turned to Ana, and shook her head. "You wash dishes," she pointed to the sink. "I have to go play surgeon." Then she sprinted to the stairs, and disappeared down them, her footsteps barely making a sound.

TSOTC

Denim's feet, though she couldn't see them, she sure as heck felt them, were like throbbing bricks. Could bricks throb? She took the last step up to their apartment, sliding her key in the lock. It was nice to be home, even if just for another day. They'd have to go back to the warehouse tomorrow. But one more night in her own bed, was a small blessing. And right then, all she wanted was a nice, long hot bath, dinner and a nap. Her first shift back, a double, might have been a bit more than she should've done. Maybe. Not that she was ready to admit it.

"Mommy, Mommy, we got a puppy!" Alli rushed her at the door, squealing and bouncing in delight. "We got a puppy and it's sooo cute!"

"Shhh, Alli-bird, she's sleeping," Mikey whispered, from somewhere down the hall.

Denim scanned the living room looking for signs that her boyfriend had in fact brought home a dog without talking to her about it first. Nothing looked out of place. There was no crate, no food bowls, no toys.

Mikey appeared in her periphery, seemingly empty handed while Alli grabbed Denim's hand and began to pull. "Come on, Mom. Come on. She's so cute you're going to just love her!"

Denim's gaze shifted from the small bottle on the kitchen table to Michelangelo. He flashed her a sheepish grin as she raised skeptical eyebrows. She pasted a smile on her face and forced a sweet tone. "So, hello. How was your day? Did we get a dog?"

"Come on! Mommy, come on!" Alli tugged and pulled on her mother's hand while Denim studied Mikey's bright baby blue eyes.

 _Oh gods, is he using the 'please, I want this, pretty please,' eyes on me?_ She shut off her emotions and gave him a stern look. "You can stop with the eyes. It's obvious you brought home a dog." She looked around and threw up her hands. "Well where is it?"

Mikey's brow lifted and his gaze shifted toward the hall. "It's not what you think. I swear. I just, Alli and me were on our way home and I heard her crying and I couldn't-"

Denim squinted, looking from him down the hall and back. She stepped around him, making her way down the hall. "You left it, or _her_ , in our room by herself?"

"Well, yeah. She's sleeping," he answered in his quietest, pleading voice. He followed so close behind her she could feel his plastron through his shirt, and she stopped suddenly causing him to almost fall on her. She glanced over her shoulder at him and he let out a nervous laugh, then rubbed the back of his head.

Alli couldn't stop smiling and darted ahead pushing open the bedroom door. Denim waddled inside her room and scanned the floor finding it littered with their laundry but nothing else. Then she spied a little bundle wrapped in a green blanket on their bed. "Is that one of the receiving blankets we just bought for the babies?"

Mikey let out an affirmative whiny noise. She wasn't going to get mad. She wasn't. She'd just have to talk to his mother about his new weird pretend everything is an actual baby behavior. It was bizarre, but that was Mikey. There was usually some form of logic to what he did, even if it didn't make sense at first. Reasoning with herself as she crossed the room took little effort, as after almost two years with him, and four as a mother, her patience had grown leaps and bounds.

She crawled on the bed, looked down at the bundle and gasped. "Oh, shit, Michelangelo this isn't a puppy, I mean it is but-"

"I know, I know, but I couldn't leave her." He knelt next to her, looking at the mutant-human hybrid pup. "She's so sweet. Can we keep her?"

"Mommy, you said shit!" Alli gasped.

"Not now, Allison. And no we can't keep her. Mikey, this is someone's baby!" Denim let out a shaky breath as her chest filled with a near electric current of maternal instinct. "Oh, you poor sweet baby, where is your mommy?"

Denim reached for the bundle, pulling the sleeping pup close. She inhaled deep, breathing in the scent of- garbage and sour milk? "Oh, baby, we have to find your mommy. But in the meantime, you need a bath."

She turned to wiggle off the bed and almost bumped into Mikey and Alli both.

"No, Mommy I want to keep her!" Big tears rose to Alli's eyes, which Denim ignored for the moment, turning to Michelangelo who had a dreamy grin pasted to his face.

"Mikey, stop looking at me like that. Just. Stop. This isn't our baby, it's someone else's and they're probably looking for it- I mean her. Where did you find her?" Denim crawled off the bed, holding the sleeping pup, and made her way into the nursery they'd set up for their own baby. She grabbed a hooded towel and some baby wash then made her way down the hall into the kitchen, all the while Mikey and Alli followed her.

Alli kept whining about keeping the puppy while Mikey explained they'd found her in a dumpster. That didn't sound very wanted to her, but at the same time with all the violence against mutants, something could've happened to the baby's parents. "Mikey, call your Mom while I give the baby a bath and please tell me the bottle on the kitchen table isn't milk from the fridge."

"Okey doke, I'll call her now, and nope it's formula powder from the pantry, one of those free samples they sent in the mail." He smiled so wide his eyes near shut, he was so proud of himself.

"Well I'm sure it probably has to be mixed with something, maybe puppy milk replacement, but good job. We'll let your mom take a look at her and see if maybe she might know someone who was expecting."

TSOTC

Detective Hadley turned away from the mess on the apartment floor, signaling his people to bag it up. Forensics had already come through and he was giving it a once over before clearing it for transit to the morgue.

With the woman discovered early this morning in the street, that made for a double homicide. It had taken time to figure out who she was as she hadn't had a purse or wallet. Of course, seeing as she's been found in pajamas, it wasn't looking like a robbery. It was afternoon when they finally managed an ID and discovered the second body at her address. Everything pointed to hate crime. But these things happened when human women demeaned themselves with animals.

All in all, he considered it a job well done. Time to wrap up this impending cold case and reward his agents. Washed up criminals like them needed to do good work to redeem themselves and he already had their next target in mind.

TSOTC

Hun sat in his car, some pathetic jalopy confiscated from an unfortunate Purple Dragon, with his sack of psychic meat slouching in the passenger seat. He'd lucked out while cruising around when he caught sight of Zoe entering a grocery store.

Parking in the street across from the lot, he'd had his pet throw out a line to snag her. If it had just been a matter of returning her, he could snap her up now. But she was damaged goods, so the mission was revenge, not retrieval. If he knew where the thieves were holed up, he'd send her to destroy them and retrieve the Director's other lost property, but that wasn't an option.

Next best choice, violate their sanctimonious moral high ground. Publicly. But how best to...

At the far end of the block, the door to an apartment building opened, letting out two officers carrying a black body bag to a waiting ambulance. Under normal circumstances they'd probably be using a gurney, but this neighborhood wasn't big on working elevators.

A plain clothes detective in a cheap suit followed them out, the sun glinting off his shield, hooked to his belt. The guy barked a few orders to the officers that took off further up the street.

Hun smiled. Wouldn't it just suit to have those self-proclaimed heroes take out a member of New York's finest with one of their own. In broad daylight, for all the world to see. That would show what selfish vigilantes they really were and hurt their 'mutants are people' campaign interfering with the Director's plans. No one would mistake Zoe for human when she was tearing that detective to shreds.

Grinning, he started typing into the control app on his phone.


	78. Chapter 77

TSOTC

Detective Hadley strolled down a couple blocks from the scene of the crime before slipping discreetly into an alley. At the end, beyond the dumpster, four unsavory criminal-types leaned against the brick wall, waiting for him.

They all came to attention at his approach, but it was the tattoo-covered man wearing a too-tight, white undershirt and blue bandana over his head that stepped forward. "We ganked those pervs like you wanted. Are we square now?"

Hadley smiled, knowing that he owned them. As long as he had the evidence of their crimes, he had them on the hook. It was up to him whether their cases were prosecuted or remained forgotten. And even if they turned on him, there was no physical proof. Just their word against his and who'd believe a bunch of crooks. "Sure. Just one more, little task to go."

The men scowled but didn't argue.

Just as he was about to give them their next assignment, he saw their attention shift, peering at something behind him with expressions transitioning from surprise to fear.

Shit. Was there a witness? Hadley whirled around, ready to give the order to have the unlucky bystander taken care of.

Somewhere way deep in the back of her mind, Zoe knew there was something she was maybe supposed to be doing. But - what spectacular fun chasing the ball had been! She'd even skillfully avoided all of the elephants blaring their trunks as she'd leapt and bounced over their backs, darting out in front of two so fast they weren't even close to hitting her. Can catch this cheetah! But the ball wasn't so lucky. As it hit the pavement an elephant rolled right over top of it.

As she'd avoided being trampled herself, she paused to watch the never-ending stampede until a wolf bumped into her with a snarl. Then another, and another. They stank the typical stench of a wet dog. Those these weren't wet. She might be inclined to hunt them, just to show them she wasn't afraid, but there were so many. Nearly as many as there were elephants. Best to just move along.

Meandering down the path she noticed everything, the sounds of all of the jungles animals, from the wicked laugh of the hyena to the howl of the wolf, and the smells… the familiar coppery stench of a fresh kill. Her head lifted, eyes scanning ahead as she inhaled deep, salivating as she tasted iron. Veering down a path she sighted three male hyenas yipping at one another. But she didn't see their kill, just the lingering odor indicating one had taken place.

 _Protect your territory._

Her heart began to pound as she considered the tiny voice inside her. Was this her territory? Scanning the area, the image of a wall of towering trees gave way to buildings, but the hyenas were still hyenas.

 _Danger._

 _Protect your territory._

Pulse racing, she realized her inner voice was right. These weren't mutants. They were an actual pack of hyenas, hunting in her neighborhood! They might hurt someone. Her claws extended as she stalked forward, silent in her every step. The two facing her would run when she killed their leader. But they wouldn't get far.

TSOTC

Denim pushed open the warehouse door, stepping aside to hold it for Mikey with the hybrid-pup and Alli in tow. "Hello? Anybody home?"

"Shhhh, Blue Jeans," Mikey scolded, pulling the baby close to his plastron and frowning at her. "The baby's sleeping."

Denim stared at him, a blank expression on her face. "Really?"

Mikey and Alli nodded studiously in unison. "Really."

The two of them were in a for a big surprise when it came to crying babies. Neither of them had taken it well when the little one cried half the walk over. Suppressing a grin, she pointed toward their bedroom. "You can use the rocker Aries made for us while I find your mom."

Mikey frowned at her, whispering, "Why're you being so loud? You're gonna wake her up again, then she'll cry, then-"

The pup whimpered and Mikey and Alli stiffened, both of them looking at the baby.

Denim shook her head, still pointing toward their room. "Go. While I find your Mom."

Alli stepped behind Mikey, pushing on his shell. "Go, Daddy. Hurry, before she wakes up again. I don't like it when she cries. It's loud."

"Truth," Mikey agreed, moving with all the grace of a dancer as he seemed to float upstairs without so much as a board creaking. Alli wasn't nearly as delicate, stomping behind him on her tiptoes in noisy dress shoes.

Snickering, Denim made her way to the kitchen where Ana stood staring at a half-full sink with a sour look on her face. "You okay? I'm looking for Phoenix." The woman didn't answer her and Denim waved a hand in her periphery, causing the dainty blonde to jump. Denim's eyebrows lifted. "Are you feeling all right? Should I call Donnie?"

"No!" Ana shouted. "No more crazy nut jobs. There's something wrong with you people. Here, I can't deal with this right now." She thrust a dish towel into Denim's hand and stomped away from the sink.

"But...Phoenix..." Denim tried again as Ana's grown-woman tantrum had her reeling for balance.

"...is out somewhere playing voodoo witch doctor on diseased hobos." Ana finished shrilly as she fled the room, calling back. "I can't take this."

After Ana had gone, Denim realized that she'd been left with the dishes.

"Oh, hey, Denim." Raph sounded disappointed, if not uncertain as he stomped into the kitchen, Anton trailing behind him.

"Hey, Raph, Anton, what are you guys up to?" she replied, examining a definitely not clean dish. She washed it again, casting them a furtive glance over her shoulder.

Raphael rubbed the back of his head as he scanned the kitchen and living areas. "You haven't uh, seen Zoe have you?"

"No. We just got here. Mikey and Alli found a hybrid baby in the dumpster and we brought it here hoping Phoenix may know the mother." Denim rinsed the dish, frowning for both the baby and the fact that the other one in the drying rack still had pizza grease on it. Was Ana capable of anything domestic?

"A baby? You guys found a baby!" Raph jerked to attention.

Anton wandered away from the adults talking in the living room towards his aunt and uncles room. Pushing the door open, he found Uncle Mikey squeaking back and forth in an old rocker, salvaged from someone's garbage and patched up, probably by Uncle Aries. The aging wood protested under his uncle's weight, but that hadn't stopped Alli from climbing on and curling up against Uncle Mikey's side as she cooed over the small, blanket-wrapped bundle in his arms.

Moving in closer, he could make out the fuzzy little snout of the puppy, somehow sleeping through the rocker's shrieks. He felt the strangest sensation as he approached.

Feelings, ones not belonging to anybody here, wrapped around the baby like an invisible blanket, too strong to ignore. If it had been light, he would have been forced to close his eyes or if it hand been sound, he'd need to cover his ears. But, with too much emotion, he didn't know how to defend himself. And, even though being this near raked him raw, he still felt compelled closer.

"Do you want to touch her?" Uncle Mikey shifted the bundle towards him.

Tentatively, he reached out to stroke the puppy's cheek. The moment his fingers connected with her fur it felt like that time a couple years back when he'd snuck into Uncle Donnie's lab and learned what electrical outlets were for. His jaw locked shut and he winced against the sensation of current searing through his nerve endings.

Blinking his eyes open, he found himself in an unfamiliar apartment, surrounded by several human men that he didn't know. The perspective was wrong. Too high. He was either taller or standing on something.

Eyes moving of their own accord, his gaze shifted towards the figure lying on the floor behind them, a German shepherd mutant. His first impression had been that the guy was lying on an oddly-shaped, red rug, but as it kept expanding, he quickly realized it was blood. Like the blood dripping from the switchblades in the hands of the strange men.

"Jasque!" Someone else's voice, feminine and full of agony, tore out of his throat.

One of the men, the one with shaggy brown hair that smelled of bacon grease, stepped forward. "You were warned, Anna."

His right hand shot out, flinging a mug of liquid at the group. From their screams, he figured it must've been hot, but he hadn't stuck around for the aftermath.

He tumbled sideways, out an open window onto a fire escape, leg flailing out wildly, knocking free a wood splint in the frame. The window dropped shut behind him.

Clutching a small, warm bundle tightly to his chest, he began to clumsily scale the metal ladder down into the alley below. The window rattled as the men in the apartment tried to unjam it.

Without any of his usual grace, he finally managed to struggle down, dropping off the last rung to the pavement below. Above him, he heard glass shatter.

With frustrating slowness, he stumbled through the dark alley into the street, which wasn't lit in this part of town. The lightposts were there but had seen better days. Only the one down by the intersection to his left illuminated anything and even that flickered intermittently.

He wasn't using the darkness to his advantage at all as he blundered out into the street, screaming for help in that shrill, unfamiliar voice. No one came and he knew the men pursuing him would be reaching ground level soon.

As he fled down the street, he passed another alley with a dumpster at the mouth of it. He rushed towards it, lifting the heavy lid with his free hand. Bending over the side so far, his feet lifted off the ground, he gently lay the blanketed bundle atop a mound of garbage bags. The baby pup within yawned but didn't wake.

He quietly shut the lid and tripped back out into the street again, looking around wildly. Nobody. At least not until the men from the apartment burst out of the other alley.

He fled down the middle of the street, not making it far before they overtook him, catching him by hair he shouldn't have had, snapping his head backwards.

"Anton!"

At those words, everything dissolved back into Alli's room, his dad hovering over him with wide, frantic eyes as he lay on his shell.

"Dad!" Throwing himself up and forward, he wrapped himself tightly around him and started to cry.

TSOTC

"Drink dis'." Raph shoved a glass of water into his son's face. Since when were those vision-things this violent? He eyed Anton's splotchy face, the way he avoided meeting his gaze. Not to mention the fact that he was still trembling. How the hell did he turn this shit off? Or at least control it? Zoe would know. She'd be able to help. He exhaled a heavy breath. She would if she were home and in her right mind. "I've got ta go look fer yer mom. You sure yer gonna be okay here with Uncle Mikey and Aunt Denim?"

Anton turned away as he slumped in his chair, arms crossed tight over his plastron. He lifted a hand, swiping at his nose as he sniffled, his chest still rattling and wet inside from crying like a sissy. He didn't dare close his eyes though, not even to avoid the onlooking eyes of every family member that had been home when that nightmare sucked him in. No. He didn't close them because he could still see it, smell it, _feel_ it.

For the second time in as many days, Leo burst into the warehouse, spitting mad. At least this time he'd already finished his class when Raph called to say Zoe was loose, hanging up before he could respond.

At least this time Raph had told him.

But he was still furious.

"Raph! What part of 'keep someone watching her' was unclear?" Leo yelled his voice booming through the large space.

Almost immediately, a baby wailed in response.

Leo froze. A baby? They didn't have any babies yet? Had Denim gone into labor? Why hadn't anyone told him?

"Holy crap, Leo. Chillax bro. There are other greetings than screamin' at Raph." Mikey complained loudly, holding a small, mewling bundle in a blanket as he descended the stairs.

Leo's panic turned to confusion as a still very pregnant Denim followed him out of the room.

Mikey cooed nonsense at the mystery baby to no effect and glared at Leo in accusation. "We just got her back to sleep after Anton's episode."

Leo blinked. "Anton's episode?" He echoed, struggling to keep up with the turn of events.

"He's okay. But doesn't want to talk about it." Denim explained quickly, cueing off something she must've seen in Leo's expression. "Alli's with him now, but he's still pretty upset. Maybe when Raph brings Zoe back, she'll know what to do."

Raph. Zoe. Right. That's why he rushed over here. "Where...?"

"This is your fault, Mister Screamy-shell, so you gotta help calm her down." Mikey interrupted, grumbling. "You didn't used to be so high strung."

Leo frowned. No, he didn't. But father handing down the full weight of responsibility for their family to him had crushed anything laid back about his personality.

"Here, take her while I fix up a bottle." Mikey thrust the bundle into Leo's arms, ignoring the sputtered protests of his eldest brother.

Holding the tiny, thrashing creature gingerly, as though it might shatter at any moment, Leo shushed frantically, looking down at her.

Miraculously, the shrieking quieted. Mouth now closed, Leo could see a cute snout and furry little face. Golden eyes locked onto his and he felt his heart skip.

"Hey there." He whispered softly, cradling her close. "You're ok. I've got you. I've got you."

"Who is screaming like a baby?" Phoenix is voice came up through the stairwell before her physical body did. "They were doing a really good job."

Mikey pointed to Leo without turning around in the kitchen as she came into the top floor of the warehouse. Phoenix looked tired and had splatters of blood on her clothes.

"Leonardo, why in the world-". She stopped short when we she saw the bundle and Leo's arms. "Who is this?" she asked, her voice slow.

"We were hoping you could tell us," Denim said, rubbing a tender spot just below her ribs. She winced at her son or possibly her daughters retaliatory kick. "Mikey found her in a dumpster."

Leo stiffened in shock, clutching the baby protectively to his chest. "What? A dumpster? How could anyone do that?"

Phoenix walked over to Leo, as if on eggshells, reaching over his bulky, green arm to move the blanket from the baby's head. She was silent a moment, her brows drawing up into an inverted v. "Hello, you," she said in voice well known throughout mutantkind. Her love of children any age below that of adult was almost as legendary as her healing skills.

She stroked one of the puppy's long ears, and then looked up to Denim. "You found the baby on Rylany Street.". It was not a question.

Denim looked to Mikey. "You didn't say what street."

"Somebody should go lookin' fer the kids parents." Raph interrupted, before Mikey could get a word out. "But I gotta find, Z."

Denim noticed Anton's lower lip forming a pout, his eyes drifting longingly toward the door. His mother was sick, losing herself to the animal side of her. Her gaze reverted to the baby. And this little girl, if Anton's vision was right, and Denim was quickly learning they always were, had no parents to speak of. Either way, Anton's mother was still out there and he needed her. "Someone _should_ go look for Zoe."

"You don't think _she_ did this?!" Raph shouted, his eyes darting from the baby to Denim. "Z's going through a thing, but she's never-"

"Raph, chill bro." Mikey was quick to Denim's side, frowning at his brother. "Blue Jeans didn't say that. Nobody said that."

But as silence settled over them, Denim knew everyone was wondering now.

"Mom didn't do it." Anton's voice came out a somewhat defeated sound. "And what's happening to her ain't her fault."

Leo's eyes locked on to Phoenix's. "You knew where Mikey found the baby? You know who this child belongs..." he glanced over at Anton, filing away the fact that he was having some kind of clairvoyant visions for later consideration, "...belonged to?"

Phoenix nodded slowly. "I do," she said. "And if the baby was found in a dumpster, the parents aren't anywhere to find." Her voice cracked at the end of her sentence, so that she cleared her throat. "Her parents were so excited to have her..."

A rush of motherly instinct overcame Denim, her eyes welling as she struggled with a sudden lump in her throat. Swallowing hard, she reached for Alli, pulling her close. "Even if we suspect the worst, shouldn't we see to it they're-" She glanced at the top of Alli's head, her little girl poking at rolling places over her mother's belly. "Properly cared for?"

"Properly cared for?" Raph flashed Denim an incredulous look. "They're dead!"

"What? Who's dead now?" Karai groaned, dropping her handbag by the door as she came in.

"Can't anyone wait until I'm off work to die? I mean I haven't even had dinner yet."

"The parents of the baby Mikey found." Leo answered, clutching the infant more tightly when Phoenix reached for it.

She raised her brows, staring at him and he reluctantly handed over the child.

"What?" Karai snapped, watching Leo carefully as his eyes followed the little bundle towards the table.

Startled, Leo snapped out of it and shook his head as though that would get it back in the game. "Ok, Raph take some help and find Zoe. I want her back here immediately." He scanned the room, looking for anyone available and his eyes landed on Aries, standing in the door frame of his claimed section of the warehouse. "Aries, help him."

"What? I'm not a tracker and I'm busy." He protested.

"She's your sister and she needs your help." Leo retorted.

Aries scowled. "I'm not doing this because you told me to."

Leo ignored him and turned to Karai. "Find out from mom who the baby's parents are and what happened to them."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "And what do you plan on doing while we're off getting shit done?"

"I need to talk to Anton about a vision he had." Leo answered.

TSOTC

"Rylany should be right up-" Raph's voice trailed off as he ground to a halt.

Aries didn't need to ask why the turtle had finally shut up after spending the past half hour combing their neighborhood before deciding to check out the street Mikey found the kid on; a scene of yellow tape, cops and news reporters answered that question just fine. "We should check it out."

Raph didn't take his eyes off the crime scene, only moving after Aries nudged him. A strange tingly sensation reached his fingers and toes, his mind getting kinda hazy as his heart galloped against his plastron. _Say she didn't do this. It ain't her. It ain't._

The two mutants sidled into the thick of the crowd, Aries eyes on a body bag being loaded into a van marked coroner. "What happened?" He asked no one in particular.

Raph was almost afraid to listen when a curly-haired blonde answered. She popped her gum, proceeding to chomp on it like a hungry hippo gobbling a ball in that damn game Anton liked so much. "Something shady. News lady says three cops are dead and three criminals too." She blew a bubble, letting it pop in Aries' face. "They're saying it was a mutant attack. Big shock there, huh? Oh. Wait. You're a mutant. Maybe you and your friend there did it. They say the killer always returns to the scene of the crime."

Aries snorted. "Obviously, couldn't have been you. A fine, upstanding narcotics addict like you'd have no reason to hold a grudge against cops or shady drug dealers cheatin' you."

The woman's eyes narrowed and she flipped him off before stomping away.

 _The killer always returns to the scene of the crime. The killer..._ Raph's eyes swept the windows, balconies, sidewalks, then finally the rooftops _._

There. There she was. Three buildings down and across the street, stretched out on the ledge of a billboard, a tiny nude figure bathing in the sun. If it wasn't a lingerie ad she might even get noticed. "Aries," he interrupted his ram brother's useless argument. "We gotta go."

TSOTC

Keeping an eye on Leo as he sat down on the couch with Anton, Alli and Denim, Karai sauntered over to the kitchen table where Phoenix examined a puppy-infant who was trying to cram its entire fist in its mouth. Mikey could give lessons on that.

Phoenix didn't look up as she approached, remaining focused on the child.

"So, whose bodies am I looking for?" Karai leaned against the edge of the table, drumming her fingers on it as she spoke.

"Their names were Jasque and Anna. A mutant-human couple." She looked up. "One of the ones that was lucky and got pregnant." She sighed. "So, I thought before our recent run in with..." she stopped. She didn't want to think about Henry Battle. She still simmered with hurt when she did. She trusted him. She'd even enjoyed his company. And... shaking her head, she continued. "This little girl looks just like her daddy." She tickled the baby's chin. "And she seems as healthy as a horse."

Karai avoided looking at the baby, not wanting her to stir up recent personal failures. She'd seen Leo with her and knew this was going to start a fresh round of 'let's try agains' from him. She had to shut that down for his own good. Some things just weren't meant to be.

Better to focus on the task at hand. "Send me their home and work addresses. I'll find out what or who happened to them and set things as right as they can be." She risked a glance at the wriggling little puffball, now grabbing at her toes. "What happens to her? Did this Jasque or Anna have any family to take her in?"

Phoenix shook her head, a sad looking donning her face once again. "No, I don't think so. I know Anna had family in town, but they were having nothing to do with her. I remember her telling me they wanted her to get an abortion or get out of their lives." She looked at Karai again. "Luckily she had a man who loved her." Her glance skitted to her bedroom door, before returning to Karai. She held the baby out her. "I don't know what we'll do with her, to be honest."

Karai jerked back as though Phoenix had thrust a branding iron towards her, before recovering her composure enough to play off the reaction as just pushing off from the table.

"Well, I suppose I can have April give a shout out to the community, see if anyone will take her in." Karai responded, clearing her throat.

"Maybe you can consider it in your heart to take her in," Phoenix said with a shrug, as if it were only a small thing. "It isn't like we already have a warehouse full of children anyway..." She gave another heavy sigh and looked down at the baby. "You'll have a good life, and good brothers and sisters and cousins. You'd have a family." She tickled under her snout again, and the baby gurgled. "Just a suggestion," Phoenix said to the baby.

Karai reeled back as though she'd been slapped. What? Just because she couldn't have her own everyone thought she was desperate for a child? Was that it?

Her throat constricted and her eyes stung. No. She was not doing this now. Karai whirled away and stomped off before she could look anymore pathetic. "I need to get going. Send me the addresses."

"I will, Karai," Phoenix called in a voice that was much more of a coo than it should have been when speaking to an adult. "Be safe."

TSOTC

Checking to make sure she wasn't observed, even if this was the kind of neighborhood where neighbors never saw anything, not that they'd report anyway, Karai ducked under the crime scene tape, swiftly picked the lock to the apartment and silently slipped inside.

Clearly unable to afford curtains, the place was well illuminated by the late afternoon light. It was a sparsely furnished one bedroom, decorated entirely in pictures of their puppy daughter, some in frames, many just taped to the wall.

Karai's stomach twisted as they brought to mind the little orphan back at the warehouse. What was up with all the pictures? She couldn't have been more than two months old. How many pictures could you take and print in two months?

Pointedly not thinking about it, she wandered the apartment, golden eyes shifting green, her forked tongue flicked out to sample the scents. She wasn't as good at this as Medusa, but could pull the feat off well enough to sort out this mess.

The baby's scent mixed with male, mutant dog and human female, probably Jasque and Anna, permeated the dwelling. As she approached the huge blood stain on the floor of the living area, more blood than anyone could afford to lose, she identified it as Jasque's.

Here there were also a lot of fresh unfamiliar scents, all human and male, the killers most likely. She disentangled them into individual flavors as best she could, but wasn't positive she'd be able to ID them if they weren't all together. They, Anna and the baby all led to the window.

Even with her strength, it took some effort to force the thing open. What a piece of shit. But that was to be expected in this part of town.

She stepped out onto the fire escape and sampled the air again. They'd all left trails. It was time to do some hunting.

TSOTC

Part of Raph was actually considering calling in reinforcements. It took a lot to make him sweat, chasing his more-feline-than-not love was harder than he ever remembered. Folded over and panting, he peered across the steaming hot roof tops, where Zoe perched atop another billboard, licking the back of her hand then stroking her hair.

She wasn't even out of breath.

Grumbling to himself, he almost liked it better when she was burning out at the end of a sprint. Even with the terrifying asthma attacks that followed. But she _was_ sprinting, short distances with lots of obstacles to leap up on for him to have to navigate while she took a break. A damned cycle he was quickly growing tired of. Not to mention he was fed up with everybody, family or strangers, gettin' ta see her naked.

Just beyond her, closing in from the opposite side, Aries, his wool dripping wet in tight springs, made eye contact. Raph nodded, both moving in sync toward their seemingly oblivious prey. But both also knew better. Knew even this version of Zoe better.

She'd been toying with them from the start.

TSOTC

Anna's trail led to a spot in the street that smelled faintly of death under the scents of traffic, which was fortunately light enough that she could investigate. The trail of the men took her to a nearby alley, cordoned off at the entrance while the authorities were processing it.

More interesting were the other scents in the area. Zoe. Raph. Aries. That could not be a coincidence. Also noteworthy was that, while an old trail of her prey led in, no fresh trail led out. The situation seemed to explain itself. Of course, she'd still have April utilize Donnie's back door access to the police system to give their report for this a perusal, but she felt pretty sure she had the gist if it.

For now, they had more pressing concerns.

She pulled out her phone and dialed Aries, knowing Raph had a habit of ignoring calls from her.

"What is it? Now is really not a good time." Aries panted heavily into his phone.

"Need a little help?" She asked, hearing the smirk in her phone voice.

"Stop screwing around and get your ass over here." He yelled, rattling off a cross street.

"I'll call again when I've found you to coordinate." She replied, hanging up.

Stepping into the next closest alley, she shifted full snake, ready for a real hunt.

TSOTC

The only thing more fun than chasing a ball might be playing with Raph and Aries. Zoe wasn't sure why they hadn't changed their strategy of trying to corner her in when it was only the two of them, but it was the most fun she'd had in days!

Raphael crept along the backside of the billboard as she let him get the closest he had yet. He had to know she could hear him breathing. A coy smile playing across her lips, Zoe casually licked her arm then wiped her face. The sun was so warm against her skin, the breeze at this height allowing her to smell everything within a four-block radius. Not that most of it smelled good, quite the opposite. But the hum of life was invigorating, an abundance of places to take this game of tag.

Keenly aware that Aries was already on the next roof she planned her springboard of steps as Raph made his move. A none too graceful grasp at thin air as she dove down, landing on the roof ledge only to spring up onto the balcony of the taller building then change direction to the balcony adjacent of the one she'd just left. From there she leapt back onto the roof looking down to see Raph scrambling to catch up from the ground and Aries leaning over the side of the fake out cursing her name.

Aries was about ready to throw in the towel when his phone finally rang again. "Please tell me you're close." He begged between ragged breaths.

"Drive her towards the billboard for microwavable chimichangas." Karai commanded before hanging up.

Aries caught Raph's eye as the turtle was scanning for an advantageous angle of pursuit and indicated the direction with a couple of hand gestures. There was no fucking way he'd ever admit to Leo that the damned hand signs he'd insisted they learn actually turned out to be useful. Not in a million years.

Exhausted, Raph shrugged and moved to herd Zoe towards the billboard.

For her part, Zoe continued having the time of her life leading them on a merry chase until she got close to the billboard, slowing to a stop as she scented the air.

Until Karai flipped down from the other side of the billboard, her freaky, elastic snake-arms shooting out to wrap around Zoe like bolas.

For a moment Aries thought the chase might finally be done. And then Zoe's eye took on a far-away, glazed-over sheen.

TSOTC

Hun veered down another narrow side street, the wrong way on a one-way road, going over three times the legal limit. But there was no way he was gonna lose her now.

When he'd seen Raphael and Aries at the site of the attack, it was Christmas come early. Or it would've been if he'd managed to type in the command be for they took off after Zoe. This was the opportunity he'd been waiting for and he wasn't going to miss it. If only they'd hold still for a damn minute.

And then his wish was granted. Thanks to that literal and figurative snake-bitch. While he didn't like her any more now than when he'd been working to ingratiate himself with the Shredder, he was happy to see her, just barely visible from his angle down in the street. She could die in a gory mess with the rest of them.

Turning his car into a screeching halt that scattered panicked pedestrians as he skidded up onto the sidewalk, he whipped out his phone and pulled up the app. Let the games begin.

 _Kill._

The word came as a command to Zoe, not a suggestion. And with it the face of her sister blurred and distorted, reshaping the landscape of her situation. She was bound to a table in a laboratory, but the straps were some kind of elastic instead of metal. A poor choice on behalf of whoever had put her there. Survival instincts trumping her desire to destroy, she bit down on the strap closest to her mouth, ripping it in half when it suddenly released her. Confused she leapt from the table, landing a crouch, ready to maul anyone or anything that came her way.

As if out of nowhere, three figures appeared, what must be an anaconda with a broken tail, blood pooling at its side, a reptilian creature and a ram? Zoe scoffed but the sound came out a snarl. The lamb was bawling, making some awful noise she perceived to be a threat, while the reptile made some bizarre oddly familiar churring sound. The cacophony of animal noises was giving her a headache, and the taste of copper still wet on her tongue summoning a craving.

These were the wrong animals to send. She inhaled deep, her lips curling as she tasted her options.

Ram smelled delicious.

"I've got her so you can trusssss her up and..." Karai didn't have a chance to finish before Zoe bit down on her arm. She screamed and reeled back, releasing Zoe to clutch her wounded arm to her chest. If not for her armored scales, she would be missing a large chunk of flesh. The fact that she was bleeding at all was impressive- or would be if it didn't hurt so much.

"She's gone batshit. What do we do?" Aries called out.

Ignoring him, Raph took a few careful steps forward. "Easy, Z. It's just me."

"How's that gonna help? She doesn't know who we are." Aries yelled.

"Let me try." Raph snapped back at him as he edged closer.

Growling, Zoe zeroed in on Aries.

"Oh shit." His eyes widened and he scrambled back as she charged. "Why is she going after me?"

He got his arms up in time to block her initial swipes. They drew blood, but his thick wool and muscle protected him. Mostly.

The crap of the last few weeks finally came to a head, with his sister trying to kill him being the last straw. Temper flaring, he took a swing at her, holding nothing back. "Sorry, Zoe."

Except she was gone, ducking his fist in a blur of motion and darting in to disembowel.

He flung himself away, falling backwards as her claws shredded his wool but missed his guts. He landed hard on his back and she pounced on him, but he used the momentum of his fall to bring his legs up in time to catch her on his knees and launch her passed him. Where the fuck were Raph and Karai?

This wasn't happening. It wasn't. Raph's fingers curled into his palms as he raced toward the rolling mess of Aries and Zoe. She'd never forgive herself if she went too far. Not when he got her back. And he would. Or he'd die tryin. And he might actually miss the ram a little too. He swallowed hard as he launched forward shoving Zoe off their brother.

Their bodies became entangled, her claws slicing through his forearms as he wrestled with her. "Zoe!" He screamed from somewhere foreign to even him. "Zoe, please! Please, Z, I know you're in there. I know it."

He stopped struggling as she paused, looking him in the eye. He churred as loud as he could, hoping the primal sound would help draw her back. Her eyes flickered with recognition before glazing over then flickering again as he kept churring to her. He wouldn't fight her. She was in there and if Anton was right- his eyes widened as one of Karai's serpent arms latched down on Zoe's shoulder. "No!" He screamed as Zoe's eyes went full animal, her body already stiffening from the venom. Raph scrambled to his feet, gathering Zoe in his arms. "If Anton's visions are right, Z's pregnant and you just poisoned her!"

Transforming her good arm from serpent to a human fist, Karai hauled off and punched him, cracking his head back as her knuckles collided with his jaw. Somehow, he managed to keep a hold of Zoe's rigid form and not fall though his knees buckled.

"You knocked her up? Again? Now? Seriously, do you have any self-control?" Karai yelled. "She is physically transforming into a fucking cat? What baby is going to survive that?"

"You shouldn't have poisoned her." Raph growled.

"What exactly was your master plan for getting her home unharmed." Karai snapped, shifting human to examine her bitten arm. "Besides, I didn't poison her, I paralyzed her and it's not going to last forever, so you'd better figure out what you're going to do when it wears off? What if the next person she doesn't recognize is Anton?"

"Let's start by getting home already. I'm sorta making a mess here." Aries interrupted, dripping a pool of blood at his feet.

TSOTC

Denim was lounging on the couch, her feet propped up on pillows atop the arm rest bringing them above her heart, though she still couldn't see them over the expanse of her abdomen and wasn't sure it was really helping anything; aside from allowing Mikey to feel like he was by letting him arrange her in this position a half hour ago. She inhaled deep savoring the familiar scent of his cooking, this concoction involving ginger and something milder, possibly sweet. That paired with his happy hum and occasional, "taste this," directed at the three kids playing cards at the table felt closer to home than anything had that day.

To her right, Leo had dozed off holding the sleeping pup, which brought a knowing smile to her face. He was a goner for that baby. It was only a matter of time.

A rare peace filled their shared home, Arcos was painting in the living room while Sappho studied - how to be human? Denim stole a glance her way, still confused as to how she downloaded such information. Her pupils darted right to left at impossible speed, and there was no book in her hand.

Medusa was home this rare night, having brought Horace with her. The two were holed up in her room, but Denim liked that they were there.

Phoenix, curled up on the sofa to Denim's left, ended a call with Donnie, announcing they would be coming for dinner. It was starting to feel like Christmas to Denim. Splinter carried two cups of tea from the kitchen, handing one to Phoenix as he took up a seat beside her. Everyone seemed so content, Denim wondered if it wasn't the baby having such a sedating effect on her family. Even if a few members weren't currently accounted for, something Leo would remedy when his nap ended. But no emergency calls had come in and that was a good sign. Or so she hoped.

Content to enjoy the combined harmonic energies of the large family she'd always fantasized of, Denim's mind was distracted from the growing ache in her kidney area, writing it off as another internal bruise like the others that Phoenix healed several times a day now. She ran her fingers along her stretched skin. There was no escaping tiger stripes with this pregnancy. Oh well, she glanced at the sleeping baby and the leader of their family, then to Mikey. There'd never be a better scar to bear than these two miracles.

Phoenix leaned against Splinter as he sat down, drawing her legs up on the couch in a ball as she sipped her tea. She smiled at Denim at the other end, feeling drowsy, but not enough to actually sleep, when Medusa burst out of her bedroom, Horace at her tail. Her tongue was flickering rapidly, her black eyes slits. "Who's bleeding?" she asked.

Phoenix, and everyone else in the room, bolted upright, though from the corner of her eye, she could see Leo's bolt was more controlled than the rest of them. _He's really taken to the baby,_ she thought for not the first time that night. _Karai might actually have to break down and face facts._ She glanced at Demin, her first thought afterward being it was she had a hemorrhaged. But her daughter seemed fine, as fine as she could be the size of a blimp being constantly kicked from the inside. "No one's bleeding, Curly Que."

"Some help down here!" Raph's voice was barely discernible to Phoenix's ears, but she saw Splinter's twist in the direction of the window.

"Something is wrong," he said in a dreadful voice. In the amazing way he had of moving, he was gone from the couch in an instant, his tea on the coffee table, the only indicator of his presence the warm indentation on the cushion next to her. Medusa was right behind him, she caught only the tip of her daughter's tail bolting out the window.

"I'm getting too old for this," she muttered, placing her tea down next to her husband and heading to the kitchen window herself. The old, knotted rope was still there, she was the only one who still used it, as Denim always used the stairs, and no one else needed it. She slid down, and when she reached the bottom, along with Splinter and Medusa, she saw Raph carrying Zoe, unconscious in his arms, Aries and Karai behind him, all of them covered in much, too much red.

Bouncing the baby as she started to fuss, Leo frowned as his eyes flicked from Aries, to Raph and Zoe, to Karai. "What happened?"

"She went psycho nuts and tried to kill us." Karai hissed.

"Hey." Raph protested.

Karai's eyes narrowed. "Maybe I should've let her maul you before I stopped her. Then we could've all come home a bloody mess."

Leo rubbed the bridge of his beak with his free hand. "Enough. How long will she be out?"

Karai scrunched up her mouth, thinking. "Medium dose of paralytic venom? An hour more, tops."

Leo nodded, taking in the information. "Karai, Aries, check in with mom."

"No shit." Aries muttered.

Leo ignored him and continued issuing orders. "Raph take Zoe somewhere secure and do NOT let her escape this time. Donnie and April should be here soon."

"Like where, Leo? Am I supposed to lock her in a cage?" Raph held up a hand, pointing a finger at his brother's face. "Don't answer that. I'm doin' da best I can."

"Yeah you are." Karai called over her shoulder. "So good you knocked her up while she's fucked up. You're doing great, Raph. A plus shit right there."

"Whoa, Karai-" Leo shook his head.

"Shut the fuck up! I've had about enough of everybody acting like what's happening to Z is my fault. It ain't and it ain't hers neither. So, everybody back up!" Raph's chest shook with a bizarre combination of fury and exhaustion.

"Raph-" Leo tried again.

Eyes wide and breathing hard, Raph locked eyes with his elder brother. "I ain't locking her up. I just won't let her outta my sight till Don gets here an if he ain't got a solution, I'm leavin' wit her."

Leo stared at him while rubbing the now crying baby's back. His voice came out a smooth controlled sound. "Where are you thinking of taking her that she won't kill anyone within a five mile radius?"

"The Hamptons house. Just the two of us. Ain't nobody fer miles there. Anton'll stay here." Raph adjusted Zoe's weight, lowering his own voice as he glanced around for his son.

"For how long? To what end? What about your job, Raph?" Leo frowned. "Running with her isn't going to save her this time."

Raph began to tremble as he tried to form options he just didn't have. "Don'll fix her. It won't come to that anyhow. Now move, I gotta get her cleaned up and yer in my way." As Leo sidestepped him, Raph paused glancing at the hybrid infant in his brother's arms. "Ya name her yet?"

Leo's mouth opened, his eyes darting to the baby then Karai then the baby again. "I- uh-"

"You talk like we're keeping her." Karai interjected. "We're not."

At this, a half-dozen throats cleared, at least two somebodies were snickering and there were enough grins to go around.

"We're not! Hurry up and fix me first, Mom. I need some fresh air." Karai huffed.

Raph made his way upstairs with a satisfied smirk glued to his face. He may be struggling in the war for Zoe, but he sure won that round of Raph vs Fearless. He snickered as he gave one last look over the railing to Leo still consoling the baby while Karai pointedly avoided him, thrusting her arm toward mother.

Phoenix was uncharacteristically scattered, the voices of every speaking a stark contrast to the silence in her head. The comfort of the voice that was her voice but not her voice had been absent for quite a while, and it gave her no comfort now. However, she was able to latch onto Leo's words, and Raph's meaning, if not the words themselves, as he walked upstairs. "I would rather no one go anywhere," she said, her hand sliding over Karai's arm. With her own power to heal herself, the two in conjunction looked almost like a magic show. Scales fluttered into view, replacing the torn skin, before the wound closed up. The scales fluttered in the wind, leaving smooth skin it's place.

"I've made up m'-"

"I don't think anyone should be going anywhere," her voice was harsher as she cut Raph off. He turned slightly on the stairwell, frowning. She placed her hands on Aries' chest, the tingling leaving her body to enter his and do it's work, her attention on the others around her. However, she did see her ram son smirk. "He doesn't need a job," she said to Leo. "We can live completely off of the radar here. Or perhaps you've forgotten how you lived the first twenty years of your life?" Her gaze then turned to Karai, slipping over her husband, who remained wisely silent. "And who the hell do you think is going to take the baby if we don't? You don't have to keep her," she snapped her hands away from Aries, and began to march toward Leo. 'I will."

"Phoebe," Splinter warned.

"I'll take her," Medusa offered, as if offering to go to the grocery store.

Horace's eyes went wide.

"Medusa," Splinter's voice had the same tone.

Raph began to walk back up the stairs, silently, but stopped and sighed heavily.

"What are all of you yelling about?" Ana came down the stairs in dainty steps. "It's boiling hot and I'm trying to sleep, and-" She stopped short when she saw Aries' blood soaked fur. "Oh my god!"

Ana rushed forward, stopping just short of touching him. "Is that blood? Like blood, blood? Were you in a fight? What were you thinking getting into a fight at a time like this? If something happens to you, who's gonna take care of me? Us?"

Aries sighed. "There's a warehouse full of people here to help."

She looked around dubiously.

"And I wasn't trying to get in a fight. I'm ok, by the way." He muttered, flopping down onto the couch.

She blinked. "Uh, good. I mean, I was going to ask, obviously."

"Question." Horace raised his hand. "Where did the new baby come from?"

"I found her. Isn't she cute?" Mikey answered, emerging from the kitchen wearing a 'kiss the cook' apron.

"Found? What happened to her family?" Horace asked, shocked.

"Murdered. As far as I can tell and according to Anton's new mystic visions." Karai replied bitterly. "But it's all good because Zoe went feral and killed the murderers. Apparently, we're ok with that now." She stared pointedly at Raph.

Leo jumped in before Raph could go off on her. "We are _not_ ok with it, but the EDF did this to her so I'm putting it on them. And we will be watching her carefully to prevent any more incidents until Donnie fixes her."

"Murder? EDF? Fixes?" Horace looked around helplessly.

Leo curled the baby closer to his chest, her cries fading into a yawn. "We're almost all living here for the moment, so she'll have plenty of caretakers for the time being. There's no need to make any decisions right now."

As Ana plopped down beside her, Denim was jarred into needing to take a more upright position. She flopped and wiggled, while Ana's pert little nose wrinkled, a scowl twisted on her lips. This woman was not adjusting to her new life at all. A glance up and to her left, beyond the family crowd arguing right in front of her, Mikey watching her struggle, stepped forward to offer her a hand. "Thanks." She smiled once he'd gotten her on her feet. "Nice apron." She grinned, beckoning him down to her, then giving him a peck on the cheek.

"What is wrong with you people?" Ana yelled.

Denim's teeth slid atop each other. She really needed Ana to stop being such a spoiled brat. That woman should be grateful to be having such an easy time of her pregnancy, to have someone as dependable as Aries looking after her. But, eager to regain the peace and calm of earlier, she looked at Ana and simply asked, "Whatever do you mean?"

The blondes mouth fell open, her finger pointing up toward Horace. "He said it best. There are strange babies now and their parents are dead and you're just going to keep this- this- puppy? And- and- there's fighting and blood and crazy people and everyone is so calm! So, so calm! Like this-" She waved her hands around motioning to the warehouse, "living together in this, like this, with all of-" She motioned toward the baby, then to Raph who still had Zoe in his arms, then to the drying blood on Aries' wool, then to Denim herself which she found odd. "Is perfectly normal. But it isn't. It just isn't." She grabbed her head then, her fingers sliding down over her mouth. "I don't think I can take this. I can't- I can't- take this." Then she looked toward Horace. "You- you're human- are you staying after all of this?"

Everyone looked in Horace's direction but Denim, who found that she wanted nothing more than to smack Ana in her mouth. Was it wrong for a pregnant woman to slap another pregnant woman?

Before Horace could answer, the warehouse door opened once more.

"Hi everybody. Sorry we're late, but we...whoa." April stopped midsentence as the atmosphere hit her.

Donnie slogged in behind her, not looking particularly awake, right into her back having failed to notice that she was no longer moving. To his credit he managed to catch her as she staggered forward though it was not, strictly speaking, necessary.

April looked around. "What's wrong?"

Raph ignored her question. "Does Don have a fix for Z?"

Donnie rubbed his face and started digging through his messenger bag. "A partial solution."

"Partial?" Raph complained before stopping short at his brother's expression. Donnie didn't often get well and truly angry, but when he did it was worth backing off.

"Yes, partial. Since the transformation is spreading like a virus, this should act as a vaccine, training her immune system to hunt down and destroy the transmitters and cells producing them." He answered holding up a small glass vial. "It won't help with the transformed cells that have already gone inert. I'll need to figure something else out for that."

"But ya give her that and she stops changing?" Raph asked hopefully.

"No." Donnie replied digging through his bag again. "Vaccines don't confer instantaneous immunity. The point is to teach your immune system how to help itself, which takes time. At least a week before it starts working and a month until maximum effectiveness. Where is my syringe?"

April reached into his bag and pulled out the hypodermic needle.

"A week?" Raph yelled. "She needs help now."

"I'm sorry, did you have a better idea because I'm all ears?" Donnie responded, barely restraining his own temper as he tried filling the syringe.

"I've got this." April told him, taking them out of his hands.

"It's..." He started.

"I know the dosage." She interrupted. "Go sit on the couch and rest."

A week. A week before she'd even start gettin' better. He spared a look at Anton, watching from the kitchen table, Alli's little hand clinging to his. Yuuta beside them cards spread out before them. None of this ever shoulda happened. They should've never been took, then Z wouldn't have surrendered herself an she wouldn't be sick. He frowned as his gaze settled on her. April's fingers swabbing Z's arm then injecting her. Even when she came somewhat back into herself, what happened to her normal mind when she realized how far lost she's been?

No.

He didn't go up against his mom often, and she was right about one thing, but- "Leo, I gotta take her away fer a while, till she's more Zoe than cat. Or as good as it's gonna get fer now. She's gonna need time an-" Raph's eyes met his elder brothers. "It can't be here. It- just- not wit kids around and so many people in the city. I- just cain't. I'm gonna get her sorted, then bring her home. Then the EDF is going down once and fer all."

"I thought I made myself clear," Phoenix intoned. "We all stay together."

"He should go." Anton piped up. "Get Mom better. I'll stay here with the rest of our family."

Leo frowned, "What about your job? Your apartment?"

"Mom's right. I ain't gotta have a job. We can always get another apartment. I'll use my last check to break lease and move our stuff here, then I'll take Z away till D comes up wit a plan fer the rest." His voice dropped considerably. "Or until she's as good as she's gonna get. And-" he pulled Zoe's unconscious body closer as if he could will away her demons. "Until she's ready ta come home."

The set of Phoenix's mouth alone was enough to make Raph think he was going to leave home with her seriously pissed. It was his father that answered, even for Leo. "Do what you think is best, Raphael."

"Great." Aries grumbled. "Who knows who I'm gonna be bouncing with next. I hate breaking in new guys."

"I'm sure you'll come up with something." Phoenix replied, her eyes intently on Raphael. "For now, I think it best everyone go to bed." Her gaze dropped to Leonardo. "Is the little one sleeping with us tonight?"

The pup sucked her thumb, big yellow-gold eyes peering up at Leonardo.

"She can sleep with Medusa. She seemed keen on taking her." Karai fired off.

Horace stiffened as Medusa's lips parted.

"No. She'll sleep with us," Leo said before his serpent sister could reply. "She's happy Where she is and so am I. Come on now. Let's eat whatever Mikey has cooked up then do as Mom suggested and turn in for the night." He was talking more to the baby than anyone else as he by-stepped Donnie and Anas legs on the couch, and wove between Mikey and Denim on his way to the kitchen. "Hope Uncle Mikey made something good for babies. We're gonna fill your tummy. Yes, we are. Yes, we are."

All eyes drifted toward a gaping Karai.


	79. Chapter 78

TSOTC

Horace helped Medusa clear the plates from the table and carry them to the kitchen. As they stacked them beside the sink, he started awkwardly. "So, uh, no one said anything about the people who were murdered at dinner? I mean that's kind of a big deal. Shouldn't we be talking about it?"

Medusa let out a sigh, a soft hissing sound. This was it. He'd seen the real them, the damn that wasn't just the glamour of being something powerful, or the danger of having nasty words spray-painted on the front of your building. But the real them. The them that battled constantly, that had the world against them, because, all eight of them, so many years ago, decided to "play superhero". She wondered if other mutants, like The Mutanimals, ever regretted the decision.

"What is there you'd like to talk about?" she asked, starting the water to fill the sink.

He frowned, trying to piece together everything that was nagging at him into a single coherent whole. "No one's freaked out or upset. They were murders. Shouldn't everybody be scared or angry or...I don't know, not like it's just another day. I don't know what, but I feel like I need to do something about it."

He paused, shifting from agitated to pensive. "Although it sounds like Zoe already did. Did she really kill some people? I mean, I know Leo said it was the EDF's fault, not hers, but how is that not panic-worthy? Everyone just seems...tired."

He stopped again as another thought struck him. "The EDF? Like the Earth Defense Force that was saving everyone during the Kraang invasion?"

"Yes," Medusa answered, taking the easy way out. She knew she was, that she was pushing the real question of no one being freaked out, to the side, but this was easier to handle. Much easier to handle. "The Earth Defense Force that was saving everyone during the Kraang invasion." She shook her head, rolling her eyes, though whether one could tell would be debatable. "Everyone except the people they didn't want to save, that is."

Horace's frown deepened as his most important questions remained unanswered, Medusa latching onto the most innocuous of the lot. But even that brought no comfort. The EDF were the good guys, or so he'd thought. Now? Now it sounded like there were a lot of things he didn't know.

On some level, he knew that she didn't talk about some of this stuff to protect him, but needing to be managed for his own safety was growing increasingly frustrating and left things between them feeling unbalanced.

He had no illusions about the difference in their abilities. She was a warrior, from a family of warriors, powerful and deadly. It was part of what made being with her so exhilarating. In her orbit, he felt invincible. Even if, in real life, he was not a violent man. People often took one look at him and made assumptions. While he had no problem utilizing his size to discourage aggressors, when it came down to it, he wasn't a fighter and had no desire to hurt himself or others.

That said, he wasn't a child. He could handle truth, even if it was unpleasant. And, if they were going to have a foundation of trust, he needed to know what we going on.

"You mean mutants, right, and more than just the individual prejudices of EDF members?" He asked, trying to piece together what he did understand. "What does an anti-alien invasion, military reserve have to do with mutants? With Zoe...killing people?" He struggled to get the last question out, not easily reconciling Medusa's spirited sister with the idea of a murderer.

"No," Medusa replied, again ignoring the last question again. "I mean human beings. People who had lived their lives in New York City knowing nothing about mutants or aliens. The EDF did not try to save anyone. They kept the city quarantined. And they gathered up mutants before, during, and after the invasion. You can guess what they did with them." She sank down on her body, sighing, as if the explanation had taken a great deal of energy. "Zoe was tampered with...by them. She's been," Medusa paused. "Getting violent."

Horace stiffened. "Hold up. They're doing what now? Someone has to tell everyone. Stop them. We have to do something." He insisted emphatically.

Horace pursed his lips. "It shouldn't matter whether or not they want to. They need to. People are getting hurt...killed. There isn't the luxury of ignorance." He stilled for a moment before forging ahead. "I really love how heroic you are, all of you, but sometimes heroes aren't enough. Sometimes it takes everyone standing up it to stop evil from happening. How can they do that if they don't even know?"

"You don't think you're the only one who has tried, do you?" She shook her head. "What do you think happens to people who try to enlighten the world?" Her tongue flicked out agitatedly, "They disappear. _If_ they're lucky."

Control through fear. Again. He was getting sick of it. But there was no use belaboring the point. As frustrating as it was, he was still a liability to be protected. Countless other equally fragile and helpless people had taken such risks when needed throughout history. What exempted him? Thoughts for another time maybe.

There was one other concern from today that he ought to bring up.

He took the next plate she passed him, concentrating very hard on drying it as he spoke. "So, you, uh, were going to adopt the baby if Leo and Karai didn't? Um, was that because it was the right thing to do or because you're...thinking babies?" As though realizing how he sounded, he quickly set the plate in the dry rack and turned to her, pushing his next words put all in one breath. "Not that I have anything against kids, but I've never really though about it before and it's a big thing to get my head and all."

Medusa let herself laugh at that. She was wondering when he'd say something, his look of shock was no lost on her when she'd announced her willingness to become a mother. And this was a much more pleasant topic than trying to get him to see that the world did not want to know the truth about it's own ugliness. It wanted to stay blind.

"I've always thought babies," Medusa answered. "It was sort of a pipe dream before the war, but afterwards, with mutants getting pregnant every once in a while, and orphans popping up from collateral damage, it became..." Her serpentine voice breatheda way in a hiss.

"...possible." Horace finished. "Wow. That's...something to think about. Wow."

She tilted her head at him, eyeing him with one of her round, black eyes. "Why is that so surprising?" she asked him. Did he think that mutants didn't dream about their futures like normal humans? That they longed for the same thing? Was that not why they endured what they did, instead of remaining in hiding in the sewer, living off others cast-offs?

15\. "Because...kids." He replied, a little breathless. "That's like something that you always tell yourself you'll do someday, when you're ready and usually seems really far off in the future. Except now it's pretty immediate." He thought a moment. "No one's ever actually ready, are they?"

He saw a future full of smelly diapers, crying and sleepless nights and started to feel panicky. His store already took up so much time and if he knew anything about babies, a questionable assumption, it's that they were a LOT of work. How would he manage the store and care for a baby? How would he support a baby without the store? "I know I'm a grown man and a small business owner, but how much of a man-child does it make me if I say I really don't feel like an adult right now?"

16\. The look of disgust, probably the first one Medusa had ever shown him, was obvious on her face. "Very," she hissed. She swished her tail, her black eyes glinting. He had no idea how lucky he was-that he could have children whenever he wanted. All he had to was get a woman pregnant. And if he couldn't, he could adopt, any human child that was available. She would have to steal a child if she wanted one, and forever wonder how she could keep them safe, keep them fed, keep a roof over their head. She would have to worry not how, but *if* they could integrate into society. Because despite the fact that mutants now lived on the surface, they did not live well. In fact, many of them had lived better beforehand. Her family in the warehouse was an example. "Not the entire population can engage in a lifetime of infantalism."

17\. "Infantalism?" Horace sputtered in shock. _Wasn't that how they treated him though? The innocent, helpless child to be sheltered and protected_. Anger and hurt replaced the surprise. "So, anyone without kids or thinking about having them is some baby who hasn't grown up? Well I'm sorry no one's ever meant enough to give me cause to think about it before you and sorry that I've been thinking about marriage instead, because my naive, childish self-thought that was supposed to come first."

He shoved the dish he'd been drying back into the rack. _Yes. Throw a tantrum. That'll show her you're mature._ But he couldn't seem to stop himself. His wounded pride wouldn't permit it. "I guess I'll just go play store because I obviously don't have any real responsibilities." Miserable and unable to grab the words back out of the air, he stomped towards the door. At least he could try walking out with some pretense of dignity.

18\. Medusa watched him go, resisting her initial inclination, which was to act like her mother and bowl over anyone who opposed her. But Medusa had learned long ago that while her mother intimated others with that approach, she terrified them. Her stature and shape brought out primal fears in almost all primates and avians, something that still, after all this time, deeply hurt her feelings. Instead, she flicked her tongue out angrily at his back, tasting the adrenaline that came with the flight or fight response, but without the testosterone to back it up. That punctuated her previous statement of childishness. As soon as his frame left her sight down the stairs, she turned to the dishes, swallowing hard. That did not keep the tears from forming in her black eyes, though.

TSOTC

Now that dinner was done, April guided Donnie to the couch and help him flop back into it. She watched the rest of the family putter about, getting ready for the night. "I was thinking, with the whole 'every second counts part of Zoe's fix' done, maybe we could take a minute to talk. I've got some important news."

She waited. No response.

"Donnie?" She looked over at him, eyes shut, head back, mouth ajar.

With a sigh, she shook her head and curled up next to him. Another time then.

TSOTC

Karai yanked the curtain shut across their temporary corner, knowing full well that the privacy it provided was mostly illusory, and spun to face Leo, still carrying around the sleeping baby. "What the actual fuck?"

"I don't think we should swear in front of the baby." He replied, not looking up.

Her hands curled into fists and she ground her teeth. "You seem to have decided that we're keeping her without discussing it with me." She elaborated, her voice tight.

He shrugged, still pacing with the baby. "So, let's discuss it now. Why shouldn't we keep her?"

"Because she's not ours." Karai hissed.

He stroked the baby's cheek. "She doesn't have anyone else. She needs us."

"But I'm not meant to be a mom." Karai responded, anger edging into fear. "The universe seems to have made that plenty clear already. I'm done trying."

"We don't have to try anymore." Leo said, looking up into her eyes. "Because the universe sent us her."

Karai looked away and plopped down on their mattress. "I don't know anything about being a parent. I was already grown and fuc...messed up by the time I got any kind of paternal or maternal role models."

Leo gently lowered himself down beside her. "It's not like you to balk at a challenge."

"Not when I'm the one with the consequences." She muttered.

"Or me." He chuckled.

"Or you." She amended, rolling her eyes. "But I don't want to screw this kid up."

"We won't. We'll figure it out together and we have so many people to help us." He pressed. "Just hold her." He held the baby out towards her.

Reluctant, she accepted the tiny bundle, careful as though it were a bomb, waiting to explode at any moment. What was she supposed to do? This was madness. She was completely out of her depth.

The baby yawned, eyes flickering open to look up into hers.

Karai gasped.

"I know, right." Leo spoke softly, grinning. "What should we call her?"

She knew immediately. There was someone, someone she couldn't remember at all, whom she'd only seen in pictures, but wanted to honor with all her heart.

"We'll call her Shen."

TSOTC

Denim scanned her employee badge, clocking in for her morning shift. She checked her wristbands and winced as she lifted the tiny plastic bead from her pressure point. She'd woken up nauseous again for the first time in a while, and though Phoenix remedied it in no time, Denim had a work day without easy access to her to get through. The depressed flesh beneath the elastic was already tender and bruising. She tried to lower it back against her skin but it hurt too much so she slipped one off then the other, tucking them in her purse.

It's been a strangely rough morning for her so far. Everything was achy and she was dragging even after two injections and a double protein shake. She smiled feebly, recalling how Mikey really stepped up offering to make sure Alli got to school.

A shiver washed over her as she made her way across the break room. What was the air conditioning set to? Had she walked under an air vent? Grabbing a sweater, she shut the locker door, rubbing her arms to warm up. A little better- maybe? Now if the nausea she'd woken up with stayed in check she might make it through lunch and dinner rush, while Mikey came and went making deliveries.

"Section three, Denim." Woody pointed her toward the row of booths by the windows, without even looking up from kneading a ball of dough.

Denim tied her apron, grabbed her notepad and made her way to her first customer, an old man. As she was telling him the specials, he kept staring at her. "Are you okay? You're kind of... Yellow."

Denim shrugged. She was enormous and swollen, not to mention still freezing, or that every part of her hurt; from a sore freshly-kicked rib to the that awful lingering pain in her kidneys. She was damn skippy. "I'm fine. It's kind of cold in here today though, don't you think?"

The man's eyebrows scrunched together. "Uh, no. It's kind of warm, actually. Look, I'm not trying to offend you or nothing, but what kind of mutant are you?"

Denim's pen hovered over the order ticket. Where her fingers swollen and _yellow_? They were shaking, but she was shivering everywhere she was so cold.

"Lady?" The man waved a hand toward her face.

Denim offered him a tight smile. "I'm not a mutant."

The man scooted closer to the window. "Well, are you sick or something?"

Denim ignored his question. She couldn't focus to compile an answer with the muscles in her back cramping the way they were. "Have you decided what you'd like yet?"

The customer ordered and she turned in the ticket before moving to the drink station. Leaning on the counter and gasping for breath, Denim closed her eyes, rubbed them, and tried to resist the sudden lure of sleep. She had to pull it together, she had a ten-hour shift ahead of her and hadn't been there a half hour yet.

"What is that noise?" Carrie, another server, asked as she reached for the straws.

"What noise?" Denim looked at the brunette, whose mouth fell open upon setting eyes on her.

"What happened to you? Denim, you look like you took a highlighter to your face!" Carrie dropped the straws, gripped Denim's hand then drew her fingers back in horror. "Honey, you're cold as ice! The noise! Is that your teeth chattering?"

"I'm fine, Carrie. Really." Really, she was. She had to be. She was fine. Her babies were fine. Everything was fine. Mikey was counting on her to be fine, and she refused to let him down.

Woody peered through the food window. "Everything okay out there? You've got another table, Denim."

Denim turned away from Carrie, to help her next customers. But as she tried to write down the couples drink order her print was near illegible and her body unbearably heavy and sluggish to move. Two customers later the tables were blurring in and out of focus and her back felt like someone stabbing her.

"Denim, you need to go home, you look awful." Carrie called to her. But Denim grit her teeth and kept going. She had to work, there were bills to pay, food to buy, and she wouldn't let Mikey shoulder it all. She woul-

Bussing a table, Denim reached for a plate, but when she pulled it to the bin everything went black. She was sinking, her entire body dropping like she'd been shot. Then she smacked the side of her head and with a 'crack' the world was lost to her.

"Denim!" Carrie screamed as customers everywhere craned to see what was happening. "Woody, help! Somebody call an ambulance!" She reached for the downed pregnant woman, quickly ascertaining that she might not be breathing. "Woody! I don't know CPR! Does anyone know CPR?"

Woody wasn't having the best of mornings as it was, and at the moment he was trying to decide who's screaming to listen to first. Denim's mother, the extra not the nice one, was currently on the phone insisting that she didn't care if her daughter was waiting on the president that he put her on this instant, or Carrie screaming her head off out in the middle of the store.

Who's problem was more urgent, Mrs. Sanders about picking Alli up from school for a dentist appointment or- what was Carrie going on about? She sounded hysterical. What would the customers think? Somebody better be dying or she was out of a dang job. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Sanders, I'll get her for you. Hold on." Placing the call on hold he pushed through the swinging doors, emerging into chaos.

A crowd huddled around what looked like a body on the floor with Carrie still screaming for him. Weaving through the customers he tried to plan how to handle whatever this was, then the last person moved and he saw _who_ it was. Swallowing hard he managed four orders. "Carrie, the call on hold is Denim's Mom, tell her something is wrong and we've called an ambulance. Tell Jimmy to call an ambulance, and Trey to check Denim's emergency call sheet, then call whoever is on it. Kira," he glanced at his other server.

The black-haired girl nodded, her eyes round with fear. "Yes?"

Woody checked his unconscious friend for a pulse, finding it weak but present. Good. She was alive. Now he just had to keep her that way. "Stay with Denim."

"What are you going to do?" Kira asked, kneeling down to take his place.

Woody frowned at his friends deep yellow skin. Whatever was happening wasn't good. His stomach twisted into knots and he swallowed hard, knowing what he had to do next. "I'm going to call Mikey."

TSOTC

"What do you mean something is wrong with her?" Connie tried in vain to get information out of the useless girl on the phone. "Have you called an ambulance?"

"Yes," the girl sobbed, "Jimmys on the phone with 911 now. They're asking him which hospital she prefers."

"Well you said she was unconscious, didn't you?" Connie yelled. These people were morons. "She can't answer-" Wait. She knew exactly how to save her daughter. "Have them send her to Suburban Hospital. I'll leave for there now. And don't call anyone else, I'll take care of her. I'm her mother."

"Okay, hang on, Mrs. Sanders," the girl sniffled. "Suburban, Jimmy tell them Suburban!"

Connie hung up the phone, a smug smile on her face. Denim would be the priority at Suburban once they realized she was pregnant with mutant offspring. They still put humans before _those_ people. She'd wanted to like Michelangelo at one point, he made Ali happy and seemed genuinely kind. But this utter lack of regard for Denim's life was too much. It was time to turn this disaster around and save her family.

Carrie hung up the phone with a strange niggling in the back of her mind. Something wasn't right, but between her own fear and crying she was so exhausted she couldn't figure it out.

Trey reached for the phone right behind her, a piece of paper in one hand.

"Who are you calling?" she asked, realizing she was in no hurry to go back out and be with Denim. The girl looked dead. She had to be. No one looked like that and lived. They just- didn't. Not that she'd ever seen anyway.

"Her mom." Trey shrugged as he dialed the number.

"Oh, I just got off the phone with her." Carrie waved her hand. "She's on her way to the hospital now."

"Oh." He hung up right as someone answered. "Well never mind then. Good job, Carrie."

Carrie smiled through blurry eyes. "Thanks."

TSOTC

April held the cup of coffee over him, wafting the scent in his direction.

Donnie's nostrils flared and he reached out for the mug even before becoming fully awake. Taking a long deep sip, he let out a sigh of contentment. "How are you this amazing?"

"Trade secret." She laughed. "There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"Go for it." He replied, inhaling the aroma of his beverage.

"Remember when we talked about having a kid of our own?" She started, watching his reaction carefully.

"Mmhmm." He nodded. "About that, we might want to hold off for the moment." Then he took another sip.

"So, I'm pregnant." She announced, sick of trying to find a good time to say it.

He sprayed coffee, coughing and sputtering. "What? But...but..."

"First try. Lucky us." She chuckled.

"Are you sure? It's seems really early to make that determination." He accepted the napkin she offered.

"Pregnancy tests are accurate pretty early nowadays and I took one to confirm as soon as I _knew_. She tapped the side of her head.

"But things are really crazy right now and what if this isn't the best time?" He asked, struggling to wipe up the coffee with the cocktail napkin.

She rolled her eyes. "Donnie, this is _our_ family. It is always going to be crazy. We just need to learn to go with it."

He frowned, mentally tabulating everything he needed to do. "We have to get ready. Put you on the monitoring software. Take samples."

She cupped his cheek, making him look at her. "Relax. We've got time. Assuming it affects me like everyone else, nothing should even start going wrong until the baby's attached by placenta. Breathe."

His lip quivered. "But mom had so much trouble..."

"...and while we're similar, we're also completely different." She finished for him. "Everything is going to be fine."

"You promise?" It was part question, part begging.

"After everything we've come through, I'm not checking out now." She gently tapped his cheek.

He relaxed, until his phone alarm went off and he checked it, looking up with wide, frightened eyes. "Denim's vitals are crashing."

TSOTC

Mikey whistled cheerfully as he headed to work after dropping Alli off at school. What was there not to be in a good mood about when you had a new puppy-niece? He'd seen Karai carrying her around mom's medi-garden and while she'd given him a death glare when she caught him watching, classic Karai, he could feel the love. Her scowly, scowly love. Puppy-baby was totes fam now.

His phone rang. Woody's number. Oops. "Hey Woodster, sorry I'm running a little late, but I'm on my way. Just had to take Alli-bird to..."

"Denim's collapsed and we've called an ambulance. It's going to take her to..." his voice got distant for a second, "...where are they taking her?" Then he was back at full volume. "Suburban. You'd better meet her there."

Mikey swallowed hard, his stomach bottoming out. "Thanks, Woody." He responded in a shaky voice before hanging up and dialing another number with trembling fingers. "Mom, Denim's in trouble."

TSOTC

Raph tossed Leo a Sharpie, casting a furtive glance around his and Zoe's already half-boxed up apartment. As long as they were together he didn't care where they lived and he wouldn't miss it. "Thanks for helpin'."

"No problem. That's what brothers are for." Leo yawned as he wrote kitchen on a box.

"She still asleep?" Aries asked, tossing pots and pans in another.

"Yeah. Not unconscious though. She wakes up to go the bathroom then goes back to sleep. I dunno if this is her bein' catty or the stuff D gave her. Course the catty side of her likes to prowl at night, so-" Raph shrugged. "She ain't die'n I know that much and I'll take it."

Arcos pointed to the refrigerator. "Did this come with your apartment?"

"No. That's the extra fridge Aries brought from the warehouse last spring when the one that was here bought it." Raph motioned for Aries to pass him the tape.

Without a word Arcos pulled the fridge out, unplugged it and carried it away.

Leo yawned again, then stretched in an almost Zoe-like way. "Did you ever ask Mom or Donnie to confirm if Zoe is pregnant or not? It's something you should talk to them about, especially while she's going through these- changes."

Raph closed up one box, stacking it on another. "As opposed to what, letting her go full cat? It's ain't like we had a real choice about anything one way or the other." Except that Leo, per usual, was right and he knew it. He paused, grumbling as he reached for a new container. "I'll talk to'em later. Mom was busy this mornin' and D was still sleepin' when we left."

Aries snorted. "Busy what? Sipping tea? I saw her. She was at the table, reading while Yuuta ate breakfast." His ram brother pointed at him. "You just don't want her mad at you."

Like he cared if she was mad. Raph scowled. "Don't give a shit if she is."

"Sure, ya don't, Raph." Leo yawned again, placed a half-full box in the table and sank into the only chair still in the apartment. "We all care what Mother thinks because we're glad to have her. Take your lumps and find out for sure. We all need to know, so if we're forced to defend ourselves against her we know what to keep in mind when we do."

Raph froze for a moment. He hadn't thought about her attacking anyone else. He's just been so focused on what to do with her and how to help Anton. He needed her right now. But he hadn't thought she'd go catty on family. But she did. And everyone needed to know- he swallowed what he was sure was guilt at his irresponsibility. How many times would he swear to protect her only to let her down? "Fine. Let's finish up and get home."

He lifted his stack of four boxes and turned for the door, catching a twinkle in Aries' eye. "What?"

Aries motioned toward Leo. "He's asleep." His ram snout wrinkled. "Baby must've kept him up all night."

Raph looked at Leo, his head slumped forward as he slouched in the chair. A big grin spread over his face. He was happy for him and Karai. They'd wanted this and the universe finally gave it to them. Good.

"You just wait till the twins and yours get here." He teased Aries. "That's just one baby and one night. We're all gonna be in trouble wit' all these kids, plus another if Z really is. And Anton ain't been wrong yet." Raph shivered as he recalled his years of diaper changes. Not looking forward to that part again. "You remember how it was with just Anton and Yuuta? Just the two of'em kept us all runnin' around like crazy."

"I remember," Aries said with confidence. "And I can handle it."

Raph snickered as he stepped over the threshold. "Sure ya can."

TSOTC

Phoenix walked in as calmly as she could, she hated hospitals. They reminded her of what she wasn't- a doctor. While she was highly educated, it was a Classical arts degree, not one bound in the hard sciences. All of her hard-won biology and chemistry knowledge came from self-study and experience. Her shove out of her position as doctor during the war, when human doctors finally joined the effort, still stung. She hated _this_ hospital especially.

But this wasn't about her, she reminded herself. It was about Denim.

When she arrived in the room, Denim was unconscious, or asleep, she couldn't tell, in a hospital bed with the head raised. She breathed steadily, in and out, and that gave Phoenix a semblance of comfort. Mikey was sitting in a chair next to her, the look of worry made Phoenix's heart break.

The other person in the room made her repress a grimace.

"Hello, Connie," she said congenially, giving the other woman a warm smile that she didn't feel.

"Mrs. _Hamato_." Connie nodded curtly, not bothering to look away from her still unconscious daughter. Why was this woman here? She had no say over anything. She didn't _belong_ here.

Two taps on the door were given in warning before it opened, a tall hazel-eyed brunette in a white lab coat, entering. "I'm Dr. Anderson." Ignoring Michelangelo completely, the doctor offered her hand to Connie then Phoenix in turn. "We've temporarily stabilized-" She paused, pointedly avoiding eye contact with Mikey, yet clearly disturbed by his presence. " _He_ needs to leave while we discuss my patients care. We are a strictly stabilize and relocate mutant-free hospital."

Mikey's eyes flew wide with panic. "No way. Nuh uh. Nope. Nope. So much nope." He cried grabbing Denim's hand and clutching it to his chest. "You can't make me."

Phoenix sighed heavily. Anger began to sizzle in her gut. She hated people like this doctor, _hated_ them. She didn't used to hate before the war. In fact, she tried very hard and not to. But now, it was too hard not to hate. "He is her life partner and the father of her children." She gestured toward Denim's belly. "I think he deserves to be here."

"This hospital doesn't recognize such unions. Mutant marriage is still illegal and I'm only doing my job. I cannot speak to you about this patient's condition with a mutant present. In fact, he shouldn't be in this hospital at all. He's endangered the life of a human as we see it." The doctor held up her hand as Phoenix's jaw shifted and flexed. "Furthermore, I'd like to make it very clear at this point that this patient has absolutely no time to waste arguing _this_ of all things."

Connie leapt to her feet. "What does _that_ mean?"

One of Dr. Anderson's overplucked eyebrows lifted as she side-eyed Michelangelo.

Connie gripped the edge of Denim's bed and screamed at Mikey. "Well, you heard her! Get out! Get the hell out! Haven't you done enough already? Go!"

Mikey shook his head vigorously. "I'm not abandoning them. Especially not when she and the kiddos are sick. I'm sticking to her side like melted cheese. I go where she goes. We're a matched set, like apple and pepperoni or ice cream and bacon."

Connie rolled her eyes. "It's always some kind of drama with you." She turned toward the doctor. "You might as well get on with it, unless you have ninjas on staff as security."

Dr. Anderson's brow furrowed. "Have what?"

"Never mind." Connie huffed. "Just tell us what's wrong with Denim."

The doctor snorted. "That pregnancy is what's wrong with her. Her organs are shutting down, kidneys, liver, pick one. There honestly isn't much that is working for her right now. I don't even know how long she'll remain stable. That pregnancy has to end immediately. _But_ , we don't deliver mutant offspring here. We only do terminations. I can get an operating room now. All I need is the signature of a parent."

"I want a different hospital!" Mikey moaned as he clung tight to Denim's swollen hand.

"She won't survive the move." Dr. Anderson refuted.

As the moment she'd been waiting for was upon her, Connie found herself hesitant. Something, a feeling, she couldn't place it but neither could she ignore it, just wasn't sitting well. And the idea of actually ending Denim's pregnancy was suddenly real. She was nearly full term. Those- _babies-_ if that's what they were- were fully developed. This wasn't right.

"I don't understand." Connie frowned. "This late in her pregnancy they-" She waved a hand toward Denim's stomach, but kept her eyes on Dr. Anderson. "Should be viable. You mean to tell me you can't perform an emergency cesarean and deliver them?"

"We don't _deliver_ mutant offspring." Dr. Anderson shook her head. "The mothers don't usually survive, c-section, vag, however they deliver. There are always complications, and something is usually wrong with their offspring. We don't have the facility or staff required to support them."

"Babies," Phoenix corrected, her voice a steely calm. "They are babies."

" _They_ won't make it. And she still may not. But we're wasting time debating. Either you lose all three or you save the mother. It will be a quick painless procedure." Dr. Anderson thrust a clipboard into Connie's hands, then made her way to the door. "I assume you're her mother. Just sign by the X. I'll give you five minutes to talk it over."

"Actually-" Phoenix began but the door closed before she could finish.

TSOTC

Meagan Anderson stepped out of her patient's room with her hand in her lab coat, already reaching for her cell. She almost couldn't dial she was so excited. "Hello? Yes. It's me."

Making her way to the nearest supply room she punched in a code, heard the click and went inside. "I might have two for you today. One is a female that looks human. The other reptilian, a turtle by the looks of the father."

"Turtle?" The voice on the other end echoed.

"Yes," she whispered as she perused the shelf. "They look immaculate on ultrasound. I'm trying to convince the family now. I want double my usual price for each of them."

She was met with silence on the other end, but this didn't bother her. She had what he wanted and he's pay for it. If only she could find what she needed to seal the deal.

"Fine," agreed her buyer. "How soon will you have them?"

Before she could reply her phone rang, interrupting the call. Abandoning her medication search, she glanced at the ID, at the same time the floor alarm started going off.

"Code blue. We have a code blue to room #13. Code blue to room #13. Dr. Anderson please report to room #13."

Meagan smiled, abandoning her search. "I'll have them within the hour."

TSOTC

Phoenix watched the door close and resisted the urge to jump out of it and punch Dr. Anderson black and blue. She turned to Connie, her face like steel and her voice to match, both contrasting her tiny frame. She held her hand out. "Give me the clipboard, Constance."

Connie almost handed Phoenix the paperwork. Her mind reeling with the terrible decision she was currently faced with. But as her arm extended, she snapped to clarity with a shake of her head. Just who did Phoenix Hamato think she was! "What? And why would I do that? _I'm_ her mother. I have to do something, and that woman's not giving me any choice. I have to do this."

Mikey stared at the door the doctor had left through. "Did she just say that she wants to kill Jem and Scout? She can't mean that? Can she?" He looked pleadingly at Phoenix as she stared down Connie. "She doesn't know anything. You can save them all, can't you, mom?"

"Yes," she said emphatically to Mikey, hey eyes on Connie. "I can! And you," she pointed at the older woman she was looking at, "don't have the authority to do anything with her. You are not her mother. You are the grandmother to her first child. You have no legal say over anything concerning her. Just like Mikey has no legal say over anything concerning her."

She paused before smiling smugly. "But unlike you, Connie. I have _pull_."

Connie straightened, her cheeks reddening as her eyes grew wide. "I beg your pardon! I raised her. That makes me her mother." She turned on Phoenix, and although she was taller than Mikey's mother, was startled to find the smaller woman's posture quite threatening. But Connie wasn't about to let her know that. Opting for an aristocratic approach, she peered down her nose. "I can't possibly know what you mean. Now, if you and your _son_ , will excuse me- _my_ _daughter_ needs _my_ help."

Mikey raised his free hand in a halting gesture. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's all slow up and figure this out without killing anybody. Mom can do better than Cray-Cray Dr. Andy, so why don't we all calm down and let her?"

Connie and Phoenix stared at each other before Connie repeated herself. "What do you mean by," she lifted her fingers in quotation, "you have _pull_? And what does he mean you can help?"

"Connie, I'm a war hero. I saved hundreds of lives during that ugly foray into mutants coming to the attention of humanity. On both sides. And don't forget which side the woman you claim to be your daughter fought on."

Mikey opened his mouth to speak, and Phoenix held her finger out to stop him, eyes still on Connie. Mikey had learned, even at the age of 16, it was better to keep his mouth shut when Splinter's new lady-friend did that.

"Even before and after the war, I sill save lives," she continued. "I go out and heal those that society has thrown aside. Not just mutants, Connie. Human beings. Those that have fallen through the cracks and that no one else wants. Especially hospitals like this one." She took a breath. "I can make it so that you never lay eyes on either Denim or Alli again, if for no other reason, that because it would be dangerous for them to be seen with you. How do you think the social justice warrior dominated media is going to like it when they hear the daughter- _in-law,_ she spit out the last two words, "of a war hero and guerrilla justice warrior had an abortion forced upon her by you? And I _will_ use your name." While the threat was not empty, Phoenix hoped she didn't have to use it. Not that she cared what happened to Connie, because she honestly didn't. But because she didn't want to be in the spotlight, any more than she already was. Mutants knew who she was. Humans didn't. She preferred to keep it that way.

Connie was gaping. Who was this woman to threaten her! And yet as she opened her mouth to argue, she could find no words upon her tongue. As she tried to gather her argument, she discovered that Phoenix wasn't finished.

"As for helping," Phoenix said. "You remember all those years ago when The Kraang took over the city? I'm one of the people they decided to experiment on." As she spoke, she felt the golden tingling in her hands, as if talking about conjured it up. She backed up and put her hand on Denim's leg. "I can heal people." She released the energy into Denim's body, nudging it toward her liver, at least one vital organ would function for a while. "It's what I've been doing for the past 25 years. It's what I still do. And it's what I've been doing with Denim before now."

Connie's hands began to shake as she watched and listened. This woman, Phoenix Hamato, had been experimented on? She healed people? Healed Denim? If Connie hadn't seen what she'd seen and known what she knew since the war, she might not believe it possible. But Denim's predicament alone seemed impossible. And here they were.

She almost challenged Phoenix to make good on her threat, but in her heart and soul she already knew, she most certainly would. All Connie wanted was for these people, this _situation_ to go away. For Denim to come home and remember she belonged with Kyle and honoring his memory. For daughter to spend her life looking after Alli, who should be her only focus. Not this- _mess_ she'd gotten herself and Allison into. But was Denim worth the public humiliation? Maybe not.

Allison on the other hand, was. "I don't know what you're doing." She pushed away Phoenix's hand. "But I'm signing these papers. It's for the best of everyone involved that we all go our separate ways and move on with our lives. And someday, Denim will come to understand. I'm only doing what is best for Allison. Besides, the doctor said the- _babies_ ," she choked on the word, "won't survive anyway. So, I'm not forcing anything. I'm saving my granddaughters mother, my daughter's life and helping nature restore the balance."

Fuming, Phoenix reached inside her handbag, yanked out a set of legal documents and thrust them at Connie. "You don't have as much authority as you seem to think. I adopted Denim. I'm the one with legal authority here. Not. You."

As the battle of wills continued, a machine began to beep. Then another and another. Soon an alarm was sounding and Denim's chest failed to rise and fall. A slew of hospital staff flooded the room.

"Get back! Get back! We need everyone to clear the room!" Yelled a man in scrubs as a team surrounded Denim.

Dr. Anderson entered casually, already tugging on a pair of gloves. She looked pointedly at an ashen faced Connie. "Got those papers signed for me?"

Connie swallowed hard and shook her head, thrust the legal documents Phoenix had given her to the doctor, then left the room.

To the staff's dismay, Mikey helped move Denim to the gurney, and more effectively than they ever could. His panic clouding his judgement, he was starting to automatically flow with the sequence of events as though it would somehow set things right.

Still clinging to Denim's hand, he whispered to her unconscious body as he walked along towards wherever she was going. "It's ok. It's going to be ok. You and the kids are going to be just fine. You gotta."

Phoenix wrote Denim's name on the top of the paper where it stated, 'patient's name'. Then, at the bottom, where it said legal guardian signature, she wrote, "refusal." Then held out the papers to an already gloved Dr. Anderson. "There will be no termination of pregnancies today," she said.

Dr. Anderson's eyes widened and her nostrils flared. "You must know the system well, Mrs. Hamato." Turning on her heel she waved to the lead nurse wheeling Denim into the hall. "O.R. 1 for an emergency cesarean." Sparing Phoenix a skeptical look she added. "Should they survive I will bring them to you. They will not be admitted here."

"That will work just fine," she replied with a satisfied smile. "They'll all be better off with me anyway." Her look turned worried as they wheeled Denim out the door, Mikey holding her hand tightly.

TSOTC

After what seemed like miles of rushing through the hospital maze with Denim, they hit a double set of doors where a pair of burly orderlies blocked his passage. The shove was unexpected enough that he lost his grip on Denim's hand for a second and she was gone through the doors.

"No. Wait." He cried out, scrambling after. So focused was he on getting back to her that he didn't sense the nurse behind him with the taser. He screamed and dropped to the floor when the electricity hit, his body useless and uncooperative.

The orderlies grabbed his arms and started dragging him away. But the joke was on them.

It wasn't perfect but, in the intervening seconds, he'd regained enough control to down them both with a few well-placed strikes. But his semi-responsive body struggled to get him back to the doors which clicked shut and locked just as he made it to them. With thick steel and reinforced glass, he wasn't getting through without some kind of key card. "Denim!"

Turning and staggering back to the orderlies he searched them thoroughly but came up empty. That area must be above their pay grade.

Forcing himself back to his feet, he looked around. Someone here must have access and he was going to find them.

 _Hang on, Blue Jeans, I'm coming_.

TSOTC

Donnie turned the corner and almost slammed into Phoenix outside where Denim's room was supposed to be, but managed to a kid to a halt with inches to spare. "Sorry. I came as fast as I could. I had to use blinding powder to get past the security guard. I guess Mikey's already been through because he was ready for smoke bombs."

Phoenix frowned. "Her condition is critical. They have to deliver the babies now."

He winced and flipped open his bag, digging around frantically. "Well this should help stabilize her reaction, so the delivery will go more smoothly. From your patient's data I'd observed that the formula has diminishing returns. I was working on a series of graduated concentrations for third term pregnancy when the Zoe emergency hit and I had to switch off. I figured there'd be more time, but plural pregnancies are prone to complication and, in this case, exacerbate the problem."

Finally finding the little glass jar of amber liquid, he lifted it triumphantly. "This one's the highest concentration I managed to make. We need to get this in her now. Where's Denim?"

TSOTC

Denim wasn't sure how long she'd been in the black-golden space. She knew it was empty and void of temperature or sensation, and she knew there was something she should be doing. She just couldn't recall what. She was biding her time mulling this over when a new drifting sensation enveloped her. One that felt as though she were rising. It was such a relief from the extreme fatigue her body was enduring. Nothing was holding her down anymore, her hands, arms and legs moving freely, light and airy. Higher and higher until she was by the ceiling, looking down. What was that strange scene below her?

Two dozen people ran around a body on a table. Tubes and wires were connected everywhere that Denim could see on the poor dot of a figure. A curtain was draped over the lower half of the body, a surgeon cutting into it. What were they saying? The surgeon was looking at someone else, running a tube down the throat of their patient.

She strained to listen, but the voices were so far away- like at the far end of a tunnel. She swam toward the distant noise. Then she saw the patient's face.

TSOTC

Dr. Anderson skillfully moved aside her patient's organs, giving her access to the womb. One more incision and she'd have baby number one in hand.

"She's crashing!" Bella, her anesthesiologist shouted as alarms sounded signifying the same.

But she was so close. She almost had her hands on it. A little more...

"Doctor, you have to stop we need to start resuscitation!"

Meagan ignored Bella, as her fingers wrapped around the slippery shell of a tiny terrapin hybrid. An avid study of all variations of her mutant enemy, she quickly determined the creature to be male- and very, _very_ loud. That wouldn't do. Not when she had to convince everyone they were stillborn.

"Meagan!" Bella screamed as Dr. Anderson looked up to find her entire staff staring at her and the squirming green-skinned babe.

No way would she convince them now. Time for plan B. "He's not viable. He's too weak, probably missing or underdeveloped organs."

"Meagan, we're losing the mother!" Bella yelled as she worked frantically to thread breathing tubes down their patient's throat.

Meagan laid the still screaming infant in an incubator and to the dismay of her staff, went in after the second baby. This one was much smaller, and human. She lifted up the second infant, her heart pounding at sight of the child. Beautiful. Almost, angelic in her perfection, bright scarlet red hair in a mass of wet curls, every finger and toe just- perfect. She would fetch triple the price. They'd have to renegotiate. The baby didn't cry though, instead opened her thin-veined lids to reveal Larimar blue eyes that nearly stole Meagan Anderson's very breath. Absolutely incredible.

"Meagan!" Bella screamed. "Put down the stillborn and close this woman up. She's unstable and you're taking too long!"

Right and good. They thought the second baby was dead. She placed the girl next to her brother, who finally quieted. Even better. They'll believe he passed.

But right as she turned to stitch up the mother, her worst nightmare happened. Her patient was hemorrhaging. "No, no, no. Page Dr. Owens, stat! Hang two bags of o-neg and get me some help down here!"

It was one thing to tell a family their hybrid freaks didn't make it. It was another when she had to tell them no one did.

TSOTC

"She's already in the operating room, Donnie." Phoenix replied, her voice heavy. "I don't know what you can do. They said that as soon as the babies are delivered, that they'll hand them over to me, but they'll keep Denim. I'm sure we can get her out."

Donnie's eyes widened. "What? Even with the babies out, the placentally exchanged blood will still be in her system causing her body's reaction. It will take days for her body to normalize naturally and she doesn't have that time. We have to find a way to get this to her as soon as possible."

Step one was finding Mikey who, with any luck, should be with Denim and the babies. Pulling up the software to track his brother's phone, an app that saw most of its use as a self-defense measure on April first, he led the way to a double set of doors where Mikey crouched amid a pile of ID badges, systematically trying them out on the electronic reader.

One of the two burly humans on the ground near him moaned and started to stir, but Mikey whacked him back into silence and tried another card, only noticing their arrival after it failed. "Mom, D, you gotta help. They took Denim."

Not wasting any time with badge roulette, Don knelt in front of the reader and popped the outer casing off. Three seconds of fiddling later, the doors opened and Mikey rushed through, leaving Donnie and Phoenix to hurry after.

TSOTC

Meagan did two things as quick as she could. Her first priority was to get her merchandise out of sight. As she reached for a clamp she grabbed her accomplice, Jessica by the arm. "Get them out of here. Go out the back. Take them down the hall to the section they closed off for renovations. And keep them quiet. I'll meet you there when this is over."

Jessica's eyes were wide green orbs, shaken by what she was seeing. "The mother is dying."

"Take the bodies to the morgue, please Jessica. The family doesn't need to see this," Meagan said in a loud voice. "And where is Dr. Owens?"

"Here! I'm here, Anderson. What've we got?" The robust blonde didn't appear to notice Jessica wheeling away the covered incubator through the rooms rear exit. In fact, no one did. They were all too busy trying to keep the mother alive.

"Hybrid birth, emergency cesarean. Offspring didn't make it. Mother is on a ventilator and hemorrhaging." Meagan stepped aside as the hospitals best on-staff labor and delivery surgeon stepped in.

"Jesus, Anderson, you practically butchered this poor woman." Owens complained as she set to work. "Hang two more bags of O-neg and get ready to perform an emergency hysterectomy." As she clamped off an artery she looked up briefly to scold Meagan. "You've been told before not to do this. Go update the family. Better to prepare them for the worst."

Megan threw down the clamp. Owens was such an arrogant bitch. Who did she think she was! "It was an emergency cesarean and completely within my scope of practice."

"Really? Did you even call labor and delivery for a consult or just me, now, to clean up your mess, _again_?" Owens scowl was apparent even from behind her surgical mask. "Get the hell out of my O.R."

Meagan's face flushed with heat as she marched past fellow staff members all working in vain to save a dying woman. As she pushed through the first set of doors leading into the scrub area she almost ran into the woman's family.

All of the color drained from her face at sight of them. Oh no. She glanced down at her blood-splattered scrubs and saturated gloves then looked at the woman's family- plus another turtle? "W-what? Y-you- you can't be back here. Return to the waiting area." She tugged off her gloves and mask, then scrubs, discarding them in the trash. What were they doing here? How did they get in here? Who were these people that they could do that? "Get out or I'll call security," she insisted, trying to lengthen her body in an effort to appear as threatening as their three dark expressions. It wasn't working. At the moment she felt incredibly small, vulnerable and on the verge of getting caught.

Hearing the sounds of the alarms, Donnie had a good enough idea of what they meant to know that they didn't have much time. Ignoring the indignant doctor, he pushed passed her, filling the syringe to the proper dosage.

All activity in the OR froze in a tableau of shock as he barreled in, shoved between two nurses and injecting the formula into Denim's IV while the surgeon sputtered protests or tried to but couldn't find the words.

At least her body would no longer be actively attacking itself, but Denim was still in grave danger. He looked around at the doctor and nurses. "What are you doing? Don't stop."

"Yes, stop!" Phoenix's voice was loud and powerful, and all of the doctors in the room turned to look at her as she rushed forward toward Denim. She seemed to be glowing, as if someone had lit a lamp under her pale skin and the light was trying to escape.

Donnie had only seen her like this a few times before, once before the war when she had healed his father from close to death, and during the, war, Raph's life hanging in the balance, Leatherhead on the verge dying, and Arcos, blood pooled underneath him on the battlefield. She put her hands on Denim, a pale, ugly orange-yellow, sweat drenching the sheet on her. "Hey there, baby," she said in a coo, eyes intent on the patient. "You're going to be just fine. I promise." The same words, Donnie noted, that she used all the other times that this had happened.

After realizing the body, she hovered over was her own, Denim had been trying to lower herself back in it. But the two seemed disconnected and she was struggling to figure out what to do to fix that. Then Donnie injected her with something and Phoenix was there her hands on her fading body. Denim glanced around the room as the push and pull on her spirit furthered her confusion.

"You should listen to her, Denni. It's not your time. Not yet."

She looked up from Phoenix's hands, at sound of Kyles voice. Seeing him there, standing next to an ashen faced Michelangelo, Denim was wrought with even more tugging at her soul.

"Not me, Denni." Kyle smiled, his whole dimple-cheeked white tooth, dazzling smile and Denim knew, understood without a doubt that he was not only at peace but happy. "I'm more than fine, I'm whole. Sarah is here and we're at peace. It's everything you wanted for me and more, so much more. And someday you will have it to." He drifted closer, placing his hand atop Phoenix's. "But today is not that day. An Earthly happiness awaits you now. So," he leaned in close to Denim's ear, kissing her tear stained cheeks. "Go home."

All at once energy flooded her chest, like her batteries were being recharged. Her spirit began to sink, and the weight that she'd been relieved of gradually returned. But as every ache and pain, some familiar some new and foreign, settled deep into her being, she found she still didn't have the strength to open her eyes, to speak, to move. She was in her body. But it was still broken.

Worse than not being able to announce her regained earthly bond, was that something, part or parts of her were missing. She tried to replay the course of events that brought her to this terrible place. Seconds passed, as Phoenix worked and Denim's mind circled and replayed what she knew.

What was this awful feeling beneath the physical hurt?

A yearning?

A loss.

Something... missing.

Oh no! The twins!

But as she summoned every ounce of her energy and tried to force the word from her lips, she found her airway blocked by a tube, still breathing for her. It took everything she had to move her hand over Phoenix's, praying the woman would receive a message of sorts.

Babies, Phoenix.

Our babies.

Babies...

TSOTC

Meagan watched the madness for only a few seconds, realizing now was the best time to make her get away. She slipped out of the scrub room and made her way down the hall toward the construction sight. Much to her dismay, Jess was there with two vibrant squealing babies.

"Quiet! You've got to keep them quiet!" She scolded.

Jess scowled at her as she bounced one infant while the other lay screaming in the incubator. "I'm trying! There's two, this is hard. How soon do we make the exchange?"

Meagan checked the time on her cell. "Thirty minutes. He'll meet us down by the supply loading area. Deliveries already ran this morning. It'll be quiet down there."

The green-skinned baby reached a new octave, but the twin she suspected he cried for did not. She maintained a steady whine that didn't stop until Meagan took the infant from Jessica. "Keep them together. That's what they're looking for, something or someone familiar."

"How's the mother?" Jessica whispered, changing the baby girls diaper. "They might be getting hungry."

Meagan snorted. "She's dead, and they're going with Davis so she won't be feeding them."

"Then who will? They're kinda sweet... for hybrids." Jessica offered her finger to the boy, who drew it to his mouth and sucked heartily before crying again.

"Don't get attached. They aren't human. They're science experiments. They could hold the cure for cancer in their genes for all we know." Meagan poked the boy, feeling his shell. It wasn't as hard as an adult turtle. Interesting. "But her," Meagan bobbed her head toward the baby girl. "She's wanted for something else by someone else entirely."

"Who and for what?" Jessica asked, trying to talk over the infant's vibrato screams.

"None of your business." Meagan replied. Exactly what Henry Battle had directed her to say, rather than, _for her to become a covert military super-soldier trained to hate and destroy her own kind_. Because that surely would go over well. No matter how awesome it sounded and how perfect she was for it.

Suddenly, Jessica snatched up the baby boy, holding him close to her chest so he'd quiet. "Did you hear that?"

Meagan couldn't hear anything over the girls screaming. She picked up the other infant, forcing herself to feebly attempt to comfort the newborn.

It wasn't working.

But she did hear something. Maybe?

TSOTC

Donnie sagged in relief as mom pulled Denim back from the brink. He knew it frustrated her that she couldn't do it on command, but the full extent of her abilities always manifested when they really, _really_ needed them. Denim would survive, a fate not guaranteed moments ago. Except...

Now that the crisis had passed, or was passing, he had attention to spare for all the details his mind had picked up on and was nagging him about. Where were the babies? A glance at Denim told him they'd been delivered, but they were nowhere to be found in the OR.

Making sure to be discreet, so as not to disturb Mikey or mom, he sidled over to one of the nurses? "Where are the infants?"

The nurse blanched, looking around for anyone else that she could pawn him off on, but failing that, sucked it up and told him. "Dr. Anderson said they weren't viable and had them removed."

Donnie stiffened. Not viable? No. Impossible. They'd been in perfect health. "Removed where?" He asked as calmly as possible.

The nurse shrugged. "The morgue, probably."

He immediately exited the OR, looking around for some hospital staff and being lucky enough to come across a transporter wheeling off an empty gurney. "I need you to take me to the morgue. Now." Donnie commanded loudly.

The terrified man cringed back and blubbered incomprehensibly.

Donnie sighed internally, willing himself to be patient, a task not made any easier by the unrelenting cries of some nearby babies. He froze. Crying babies, plural. Nearby.

He abandoned the transporter to seek out the source of the sound.


End file.
